Topic: Harpsichord causing me problems

[george401]

I will have the glass of wine instead.
I think that has explained it pretty well to me. So thanks for the help by everyone.
All the best.
George401

[Larkenfield ♬]

I've heard this recording and IMO it has an excessive amount of ambient reverb added to the fundamental sound of the harpsichord, which blurs and veils its sound, turns it into a mush. I would much rather hear more natural accoustics and ambience in the recording process.

Also, I greatly dislike the harpsichord being too closely miked. It's a shame in this recording because the quality of sound of this particular harpsichord is actually quite good. But the surfeit of artificial ambience interferes with the overall enjoyment, almost like hearing it in a gymnasium.

Always trust your ears if something seems off in a recording. Pin it down if possible. It's a good exercise in hearing to be able to assess the quality of the performance versus the quality of the engineering of the recording - not necessarily the same.

[RebLem]

anyone with a computer can hear the whole CD on youtube @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRhilRnQOIo
 
That's where I listened to it.  I heard it on my computer speakers, which are an old Altec Lansing 3 piece system--two midrange and treble speakers with a single woofer unit.  It is the only remnant of my first computer system I bought at Office Depot in Spring  2002. 

I must say it took some getting used to.  It seems to me the instrumental balances are off, and it sounds like it might be a modern violin, which seems to dominate the harpsichord.  Contrary to a previous comment, it sounds to me as if it is rather closely recorded, and the instruments are not given enough space and do not seem to blend well together because of the way they were recorded.  I own a few harpsichord recordings of the Bach Goldberg Variations which I can recommend:  1) one of my favorites is probably the least well known, by an Australian harpsichordist and conductor named Jacqueline Ogeil on ABC Classics (ABC here stands for Australian Broadcasting Company.  I got it from an Aussie vendor called Buywell.  She also appears as a conductor on a superb album of Buxtehude cantatas.  One of the most closely recorded versions is the Glossa recording by Fabio Bonizzoni.  Then I also have recordings by Anthony Newman, Gustav Leonhardt, and Barbara Harbach, this last on a label called Gasparo Gallante.

[Biffo]

I must say it took some getting used to.  It seems to me the instrumental balances are off, and it sounds like it might be a modern violin, which seems to dominate the harpsichord.  Contrary to a previous comment, it sounds to me as if it is rather closely recorded, and the instruments are not given enough space and do not seem to blend well together because of the way they were recorded. 

I agree, except I think it is a period violin - it is just absurdly close to the microphone, meanwhile the muffled harpsichord is far away in the background.

In his notes to the Bach Harpsichord Concertos (also HM) Richard Eggar discusses using ' a good historically based instrument and methods, which allow the harpsichord to emerge from the musical texture...'. Despite only using single strings, to me at least, the harpsichord is almost inaudible.

[zamyrabyrd]

What do you think of an ornate piano that sounds like a harp, made the rounds of Italian royalty from 1800 and ended up buried in Egyptian sands during WWII?

http://www.musicbanter.com/classical/77313-amazing-siena-pianoforte.html

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Qa-ySUplfNU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Qa-ySUplfNU</a>

[The One]

One thing I've noticed is that recordings of harpsichords almost all seem to fall victim to the loudness war: compressed sound normalised to 0dB. This makes them sound much louder than any other instrument. In reality the harpsichord is pretty quiet (much softer than e.g. the piano) and how resonant it is depends on the venue, but it seems difficult to find "realistic" recordings of one.

I sometimes find myself throwing CPE Bach recordings to the wall irritated by the harpsichord. I wonder if this is the reason

[bwv 1080]

Perhaps its a problem with testosterone levels?

[71 dB]

I think it is a period violin - it is just absurdly close to the microphone, meanwhile the muffled harpsichord is far away in the background.

I'm revisiting this recording and I agree with this. I was kind of blind (deaf) to the problems of this recording before, because it's Harmonia Mundi which I consider a high quality label (the power of suggestion!), but apparently they can go wrong... ...the violin almost tries to mask the harpsichord! The parts where violin plays quieter such as Adagios have better balance, but when the violin gets louder the sound is pretty annoying and even silly.