Topic: General Harpsichord and Clavichord Thread

[Que]

Any recommendations for the recordings of the harpsichord music by Henry Purcell? 

Q

[Mandryka]

The issue/problem I have with Purcell's keyboard music is that often he's played with no irony, it's all "premier degré" - with only the most unambiguous meaning. Egarr was a revelation to me, because he showed there was a more interesting way.

[Marc]

Surprise, it was you who drew my attention to her Louis Couperin CD a couple of years ago.

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1729.msg970798.html#msg970798

I thought Mandryka was gonna hug me for that L Couperin / Haudebourg recommendation, but apparently he knew that one all along.

[Mandryka]

(((((( Marc ))))))

[Jo498]

In my impression Purcell's harpsichord pieces are very charming but comparably slight, I think of them as 17th century well-educated girl's music. I have one reasonably complete recording with Baumont that I enjoy and a few pieces on mixed recitals (Leonhardt in one of these boxes and probably a few more).

[Marc]

(((((( Marc ))))))

[Couldn't find an appropriate 'blush' emoticon]



I got to know the L Couperin disc thanks to the Dutch central public library.
One of those old institutions that must not die.

[Mandryka]

In my impression Purcell's harpsichord pieces are very charming but comparably slight, I think of them as 17th century well-educated girl's music. I have one reasonably complete recording with Baumont that I enjoy and a few pieces on mixed recitals (Leonhardt in one of these boxes and probably a few more).

I think that it was a pretty widespread conception of correct English style, " charming and slight."

In addition to Egarr, the other "top tier" Purcell artist is Gustav Leonhardt  on Teldec where he recorded a suite and some shorter pieces, not much but outstanding, I remember being gobsmacked when I first discovered it and the sense of wonder at such miraculously humane and sensitive playing is still there.

[Jo498]

I don't think it has anything to do with an English style (and if, would Baumont who is French follow this style?)
A lot of Byrd's keyboard music is not charming and slight. Neither is Purcell's church music.
But Purcell's harpsichord pieces are obviously fairly small scale and neither hard to play nor demonstrations of either digital or contrapuntal skill like some other keyboard music of the baroque.
This is of course compatible with the music being "humane and sensitive". I used to like that Baumont disk quite a bit although admittedly it has been a while that I played it.

I meant a different later Leonhardt recording that included the suites 2,4,5,7 and a few more short pieces. Rec. 1994 and included in the "Legends" box.
But I probably have also (at least some subset) of the older Telefunken recordings you mentioned as some seem to be on the second disc of this collection:

[Mandryka]

But Purcell's harpsichord pieces are obviously fairly small scale and neither hard to play nor demonstrations of either digital or contrapuntal skill like some other keyboard music of the baroque.

 You could be right. In fact  I'm not very familiar with English baroque keyboard music other than Purcell and Blow.

I don't think it has anything to do with an English style (and if, would Baumont who is French follow this style?)
A lot of Byrd's keyboard music is not charming and slight.

A case to think about is Farnaby. Farnaby is often played like he wrote light and playful and unambiguous music.  When someone like Hantai comes along and reads the music differently they come in for criticism based on presuppositions about appropriate national style. But it's true that Farnaby is much earlier than Purcell.  It's also true that Byrd, also much earlier than Purcell,  wrote some interesting contrapuntal music which gives the possibility of making it more weighty from an expressive point of view -- how widely this aspect is taken up in performance I wouldn't like to say. Does Belder? Or Tilney? I'm not sure. Hakkinen does.

I used to like that Baumont disk quite a bit although admittedly it has been a while that I played it.

I quite like it too.

I meant a different later Leonhardt recording that included the suites 2,4,5,7 and a few more short pieces. Rec. 1994 and included in the "Legends" box.
But I probably have also (at least some subset) of the older Telefunken recordings you mentioned as some seem to be on the second disc of this collection:

I don't know the later one very well, I've never got into it much. I expect it's very rewarding given who's playing.

[Mandryka]

Re above discussion, here's a recording by Colin Tilney called Pleasures of the English Baroque, which I've started to explore, most of the music is new to me, as are most of the composers, I wonder if it's really as simple and unambiguous emotionally.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ocJWze2FjPU" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ocJWze2FjPU</a>

There's very little English baroque keyboard music on record, apart from Purcell these composers seem to have been avoided, maybe it just isn't very good music, maybe I'm forgetting something.

[Jo498]

I just wanted to add that the "Legend of Gustav Leonhardt" Box contains another suite nr.6 on a mixed disc (15, 11 ist the Purcell/Blow selection). So overall one gets 5/8 suites and several of the better known shorter pieces by Purcell in that box which would probably be sufficient for most, at least to get a good taste of it. Together with the Baumont disc and the odd piece in a mixed recital it is sufficient for my needs.

[Mandryka]

Re above discussion, here's a recording by Colin Tilney called Pleasures of the English Baroque, which I've started to explore, most of the music is new to me, as are most of the composers, I wonder if it's really as simple and unambiguous emotionally.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ocJWze2FjPU" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ocJWze2FjPU</a>

There's very little English baroque keyboard music on record, apart from Purcell these composers seem to have been avoided, maybe it just isn't very good music, maybe I'm forgetting something.

Having listened to this once, I think the music is not very interesting.

[(: premont :)]

Having listened to this once, I think the music is not very interesting.

I listened to most of the recording and found the music mildly boring. Also the big revival harpsichord (Goff - the English equivalent of Pleyel) does no good. But Tilney'a playing can hardly be faulted as such.

[Mandryka]

     


Martinoli Martinoli has a special knack. He can take music which really functions through superficial keyboard effects, and play it in a way which is natural sounding, expressive and humane. In Scarlatti, as far as I know, only Leonhardt takes this approach on DHM, and no one comes close in Louis Marchand’s harpsichord music -  Blandine Verlet has different virtues. People who, like me, were close to giving up on these composers may not regret trying these two CDs of his.

Having said that, the high point of the Louis Marchand disc is the anonymous tombeau!

Beautifully recorded and packaged.

[Mandryka]

   


Martinoli Martinoli has a special knack. He can take music which really functions through superficial keyboard effects, and play it in a way which is natural sounding, expressive and humane. . . .  no one comes close in Louis Marchand’s harpsichord music - 

Beautifully recorded and packaged.

Ah now I see why the Marchand CD is so good, it may not be Louis Marchand! I’d seen that the booklet was very scholarly, but I hadn’t read it. Some details here

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/July07/Marchand_OM008.htm

Whoever it’s by, the music’s as good as anything in the Göttweig manuscript 

[Mandryka]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/zJptIV2xaFE" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/zJptIV2xaFE</a>

This is a suite by D'Anglebert, the playing attributed to Leonhardt. Which Leonhardt recording is it from?

Found it

[(: premont :)]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/zJptIV2xaFE" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/zJptIV2xaFE</a>

One of his earliest recordings, released for the first time by DHM LP 1963.

I suppose you know this page:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/845763-Gustav-Leonhardt

[Mandryka]

I like what he does. What I think D’Anglebert needs is a sort of noble and proud beauty. Leonhardt can do it, and so can Kenneth Gilbert.

[Mandryka]

I saw Richard Egarr play Bach last night, Partitas 1, 4 and 6 and French Suite 5.

He’s a charmer and a comedian who talks to the audience about his ideas about the music. He’s fascinated by numerological ideas encoded in the scores, and by the emotional meaning attached to key signatures before the dominance of equal temperament. He talked at length about the strange publication history of the partitas. He talked about how Bach seemed to deliberately introduce imperfections (the quodlibet, the real meaning of the barred circle time signature . . . ) But most of all he talked about how in his opinion the 6th partita is a musical representation of Christ’s passion.

And you know what, as he was playing, those phrases in the toccata did sound like Jesus stumbling. And that final gigue did indeed sound bitter and angry. He emphasised the sheer strangeness of the 6th partita  - a gigue which isn’t a gigue, a corrente which isn’t a corrente, an air you could never sing . . .

This renewed my interest in the music, and I intend to revisit the partitas on record soon.

I was struck by how less well the French suite worked as a concert piece. His Ruckers style instrument just didn’t seem to suit it. Maybe Egarr’s just more temperamentally suited to the partitas.

He’s a passionate musician at the top of his game. He's got a probing mind and he's curious -- that's something which I thought I sensed from his most innovative recordings like WTC and Goldberg Variations and Byrd, but hearing him speak and watching him play somehow confirmed that. You can see, sense, his involvement with the music as he plays, through his body language. There were times, many times, when we were all holding our breath with the wonder of it all.

[(: premont :)]

I saw Richard Egarr play Bach last night, Partitas 1, 4 and 6 and French Suite 5.

He’s a charmer and a comedian who talks to the audience about his ideas about the music. He’s fascinated by numerological ideas encoded in the scores, and by the emotional meaning attached to key signatures before the dominance of equal temperament. He talked at length about the strange publication history of the partitas. He talked about how Bach seemed to deliberately introduce imperfections (the quodlibet, the real meaning of the barred circle time signature . . . ) But most of all he talked about how in his opinion the 6th partita is a musical representation of Christ’s passion.

And you know what, as he was playing, those phrases in the toccata did sound like Jesus stumbling. And that final gigue did indeed sound bitter and angry. He emphasised the sheer strangeness of the 6th partita  - a gigue which isn’t a gigue, a corrente which isn’t a corrente, an air you could never sing . . .

This renewed my interest in the music, and I intend to revisit the partitas on record soon.

I was struck by how less well the French suite worked as a concert piece. His Ruckers style instrument just didn’t seem to suit it. Maybe Egarr’s just more temperamentally suited to the partitas.

He’s a passionate musician at the top of his game. He's got a probing mind and he's curious -- that's something which I thought I sensed from his most innovative recordings like WTC and Goldberg Variations and Byrd, but hearing him speak and watching him play somehow confirmed that. You can see, sense, his involvement with the music as he plays, through his body language. There were times, many times, when we were all holding our breath with the wonder of it all.

Thanks for these interesting thoughts. We have indeed the "cross" motive in the subject of the gigue of the sixth partita, and the tormented nature of much of the partita points without problems to the suffering of Christ. So I think he is right here.

Two additional questions:

Did he use Lehmann's tuning (I suppose he did)?

Did he play the gigue from partita 6 in dual or triple meter?

I am not surprised, that the French suite is less suited for concert-performance. The French suites are intimate in character and close to clavichord music, and IMO also works less well even on piano, unless the pianist (like Rübsam) takes his point of departure from the clavichord - something no one else does.