General Harpsichord and Clavichord Thread

[Mandryka]

Festschrift of sorts for Kenneth Gilbert

https://www.harpsichord.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SB15R.pdf

[Mandryka]

Gottlieb Muffat published embellished scores of some of Handel's keyboard suites. I've only been able to find one example on record, on the above Cd from Flora Fabri. She starts at the beginning and works her way through to the end playing all the notes in the right order. Are there any other performances of Handel/Muffat?

[vers la flamme]

Any PI Scarlatti sonata recommendations, like 1-3 disc sets (not trying to get a huge box of all of them)...?

[Jo498]

Staier has 2 on dhm and another 2? on Teldec/Warner that I liked a lot. Also Pierre Hantai (probably more than 1 disc on different labels? I have one in a box).
There is also at least one 1-disc anthology from Scott Ross's cplt recording.

[Mandryka]

Any PI Scarlatti sonata recommendations, like 1-3 disc sets (not trying to get a huge box of all of them)...?

I must have listened to hundreds of these things over the years. Some are interesting concept CDs (for example, Enrico Baiano has one which explores how Scarlatti's harpsichord style changed when he wrote for piano, and Skip Sempé's two harpsichord CD exploring  "duende" style in Scarlatti.) Others are rather brash but impressively colourful "Scarlatti room ambience" recordings which are fun for a short time, but maybe not the length of a whole CD (I think Bob van Asperen and  Wladislav Klosiewicz and Ton Koopman maybe the best examples I can think of  of this, and (possibly less impressively)  Pierre Hantai's Astrée recording.) Yet others are endearing (for about 15 minutes)  because they are somehow direct, simple, no nonsense music making -- Colin Tilney's  recordings are like this I think.

I could happily live without hearing a single note from any of them ever again.


On the other hand, I've found two recordings which mean much more to me -- it goes without saying that this is just a personal thing, I'm not suggesting anything about their quality.

One is Gustav Leonhardt's DHM recording, this

https://open.spotify.com/album/0jY5IEsfvhbmDoIMYGXxpD

The other is the harpsichord sonatas in Sergio Vartolo's "Iberian Naples" recording


https://open.spotify.com/album/0zRagX0jGBEiQsoxELMKfb


It's such a shame that Belder hasn't produced a "best of" CD.
 

[Mandryka]

I'm not sure what to make of this recording. There is dynamic variation in a way which is a bit unusual for a harpsichord - it could be the instrument (which is big and has suffered some serious ravalements.)  It could be the recording engineering. The big speakers bring it out most clearly, but it's very audible on the Lebègue Chambonnières chaconne. At first I thought there was something wrong with my hifi - but no.

[prémont]

I'm not sure what to make of this recording. There is dynamic variation in a way which is a bit unusual for a harpsichord - it could be the instrument (which is big and has suffered some serious ravalements.)  It could be the recording engineering. The big speakers bring it out most clearly, but it's very audible on the Lebègue chaconne. At first I thought there was something wrong with my hifi - but no.

I made a deal with Peter Waldner that he should send me all the Tastenfreuden CDs, so I shall hopefully hear it soon.

[Mandryka]

I made a deal with Peter Waldner that he should send me all the Tastenfreuden CDs, so I shall hopefully hear it soon.

I think it's just the extraordinary sounds you can get out of this harpsichord actually  - I've got a recording by Bob van Asperen on the same instrument and it's the same effect occasionally (Asperen's is well worth having, it has excellent and rare music.)

[prémont]

I think it's just the extraordinary sounds you can get out of this harpsichord actually  - I've got a recording by Bob van Asperen on the same instrument and it's the same effect occasionally (Asperen's is well worth having, it has excellent and rare music.)

May I ask which one? Van Asperen has made a CD with instruments from Musée des Instruments De Musique Brüssels named Virginaal, which I don't know, but I can't see that he uses the 1646 Couchet likewise from Brüssels which Waldner uses for the Musical storytelling.

[Mandryka]

This one - if you write to the the shop there they'll send one out (or they did a few years ago, I can let you have it if needs be.)

https://www.mim.be/en/publication/harpsichord-couchet-bob-van-asperen-cd


Interesting that the blurb there says Asperen made it " . . . so that the harpsichord can be left in peace." It is a credit to Peter Waldner that they let him make another recording with it.

[Que]

I made a deal with Peter Waldner that he should send me all the Tastenfreuden CDs, so I shall hopefully hear it soon.

That's quick action! 

Please let me know if the Fischer recording is any good, when you get to it...

[prémont]

This one - if you write to the the shop there they'll send one out (or they did a few years ago, I can let you have it if needs be.)

https://www.mim.be/en/publication/harpsichord-couchet-bob-van-asperen-cd

Thanks. How did you transfer the payment?

[prémont]

That's quick action! 

Please let me know if the Fischer recording is any good, when you get to it...

Yes, I will do. 

[Mandryka]

Thanks. How did you transfer the payment?

[Mandryka]

Thanks. How did you transfer the payment?

I'm pretty sure I emailed them asking for the price shipped to London, and they wrote back to me with their bank details, it wasn't a problem. But I do remember it took them a bit of time to respond to the first email - I don't think the shop is staffed every day. This was about six years ago.

It's very good - I listened to the whole recording last night - you won't regret it.

[prémont]

I'm not sure what to make of this recording. There is dynamic variation in a way which is a bit unusual for a harpsichord - it could be the instrument (which is big and has suffered some serious ravalements.)  It could be the recording engineering. The big speakers bring it out most clearly, but it's very audible on the Lebègue Chambonnières chaconne. At first I thought there was something wrong with my hifi - but no.

To day I received the CDs and listened to this one. The instrument has a distinctive and unusual sound and the disposition 8'+ 8'+ 4' on two manuals. One manual  - usually the upper - has a single 8' and the other manual - usually the lower manual - the other 8' and the 4'. There are a number of different volume levels you can achieve with this combination. The lowest dynamic level has the upper manual with the lonely 8'. The volume can be increased by playing on the 8' of the lower manual which usually is louder than the 8' of the upper manual. By coupling the two 8' on both manuals you get an even higher dynamic level and adding the 4' makes the sound even louder. I don't hear other dynamic changes on this CD than they without problems may be explained by his changing between these options.

As to the interpretation of the music I find it outstanding. Learned and expressive at the same time. I have never heard the Mein junge Leben variations played so mooving, and his way with the L Couperin Prelude non mensuré has certainly the right improvisatory character. The recorded sound seems to do the instrument full justice. So this CD is unconditionally a winner.

[Mandryka]

Yes, he's very good in Sweelinck!

[Mandryka]

Having been really impressed by Gustav Leonhardt's two Francois Couperin CDs, I thought I'd explore recordings from people who were around Amsterdam Conservatory when he was there. So far I've found this one from Asperen, and one from Tilman Skowroneck. Alan Curtis recorded one, but I can't get hold of a copy to hear it (it was never commercially transferred from LP as far as I can see.)

Are there any others?

This one from Asperen is in the predictable Asperen manner -- counterpoint and tempo full of life -- lively Couperin.  It's very good.

[Mandryka]

https://www.artistcamp.com/lydia-maria-blank/bach-die-kunst-der-fuge/9008798375042/index.html#
A very beautiful, elaborately ornameted yet sober and noble Art of Fugue from Lydia Maria Blank. Played on what sounds like an Italian harpsichord, the lean and spare sound fits the playing style well. Actually the word that comes to mind is iki, as Toyohiko Satoh means it.

Of the three recordings that Lydia Maria Blank released at the start of the year, this is the one which has caught my imagination most so far.

[atardecer]

The latest from the Netherlands Bach Society, the Fantasia and Fugue in A minor BWV 944 in a stellar performance by Emmanuel Frankenberg. Nice sounding harpsichord here, and well mic'd.