General Harpsichord and Clavichord Thread

[Mandryka]

Interesting essay on notes inégales and afekt here, I believe it was originally part of a fetschcrift for Harald Vogel


http://www.musicalratio.com/gpage.html

[prémont]

Thanks, Mandryka, for sharing this essay, which I shall study attentively.

[Que]

Breaking in this box set right away!  Unlike some other Naïve box sets, it is not a cardboard sleeve around the original issues but the familiar slimline cardboard box (separate lid, like a shoe box) with the discs in paper sleeves. A thick booklet with full liner notes, though! Hurray for Naïve! A class act.

[asin]B00EO7XQ2E[/asin]

This is Hantaï's 1st recording from 1992. After a while into this recording I was all ready to confess that I did not understand why this recording many years did not appeal to me, it sounds that great. But, a bit further into the recording some doubts crept in. Though the way I hear this recording has undoubtedly changed and I appreciate it considerably better, I can also hear where the reservations came from. Hantaï approach is fresh (and must have sounded even more so in 1992) and adventurous, but as a whole there is some unevenness: many brilliant moments with occassional quirky moments and notably in the brisker passages I feel he glosses over with sloppy phrasing. But definitely an impressive achievement which makes me more eager investigate his later recording on Mirare. Others have taking many things I hear in this recording further and in a more consistent way, but what remains here is the sheer energy and freshness and several brilliant insights.

Q

[Mandryka]

Breaking in this box set right away!  Unlike some other Naïve box sets, it is not a cardboard sleeve around the original issues but the familiar slimline cardboard box (separate lid, like a shoe box) with the discs in paper sleeves. A thick booklet with full liner notes, though! Hurray for Naïve! A class act.

[asin]B00EO7XQ2E[/asin]

This is Hantaï's 1st recording from 1992. After a while into this recording I was all ready to confess that I did not understand why this recording many years did not appeal to me, it sounds that great. But, a bit further into the recording some doubts crept in. Though the way I hear this recording has undoubtedly changed and I appreciate it considerably better, I can also hear where the reservations came from. Hantaï approach is fresh (and must have sounded even more so in 1992) and adventurous, but as a whole there is some unevenness: many brilliant moments with occassional quirky moments and notably in the brisker passages I feel he glosses over with sloppy phrasing. But definitely an impressive achievement which makes me more eager investigate his later recording on Mirare. Others have taking many things I hear in this recording further and in a more consistent way, but what remains here is the sheer energy and freshness and several brilliant insights.

Q

What I like about those early recordings is that they seem to pioneer a new harpsichord style, what I think of as the static electricity style. Like the music's full of jumpy little electric shocks of energy, spiky pin pricks and above all little buzzing noises in the lower voices. I hear it in Berben and sometimes in Glen wilson too -- I don't know who invented it. Maybe it's a reaction away from what Leonhardt did.

I think to some extent that static electricity style has had its day  now -- what I'm hearing from young cutting edge harpsichordists seems more singing.

In addition to the Bull, I'm keen on the Frescobaldi CD. Everyone seems to love his Scarlatti but I've never got into it -- the reason could be the choice of sonatas -- maybe I just don't much like the music.

I saw Hantai play some Bach just last week, and I couldn't help feeling that his way of playing had changed quite a bit. Less electric. But I may be wrong -- it was in chamber music.

[Que]

What I like about those early recordings is that they seem to invent a new harpsichord style, what I think of as the static electricity style. Like the music's full of jumpy little electric shocks of energy, spiky pin pricks and above all little buzzing noises in the lower voices. No one else played harpsichord like that before as far as I know.

I think to some extent that static electricity style has had it's day  now -- what I'm hearing from young cutting edge harpsichordists seems more singing.

Interestingly and nicely put, and I quite agree.  It seems that after over half a century the revival of harpsichord playing has reached its heyday, and we are incredibly lucky to be able to witness it!

Q

[Mandryka]

Interestingly and nicely put, and I quite agree.  It seems that after over half a century the revival of harpsichord playing has reached its heyday, and we are incredibly lucky to be able to witness it!

Q

I modified the post a bit because when I reread it "invent" didn't seem quite right.

And yes, we are lucky. I've felt that listening to WTC 2 recently. The sort of music making I'm hearing from Wilson and Asperen and Berben is sometimes quite astonishing and very exciting.

[prémont]

What I like about those early recordings is that they seem to pioneer a new harpsichord style, what I think of as the static electricity style. Like the music's full of jumpy little electric shocks of energy, spiky pin pricks and above all little buzzing noises in the lower voices. I hear it in Berben and sometimes in Glen wilson too -- I don't know who invented it. Maybe it's a reaction away from what Leonhardt did.

I think to some extent that static electricity style has had its day  now -- what I'm hearing from young cutting edge harpsichordists seems more singing.

In addition to the Bull, I'm keen on the Frescobaldi CD. Everyone seems to love his Scarlatti but I've never got into it -- the reason could be the choice of sonatas -- maybe I just don't much like the music.

I think the most obvious difference between Hantaï´s and Leonhardt´s style´s is Hantaï´s use of more pronounced agogics, in between resulting in a hectic and too "busy" expression. IMO he adds something interesting to Bach - particularly Bach´s earlier works (Toccatas e.g.), but his Scarlatti is much too busy and energetic to convince me. So nor am I a fan of his Scarlatti.

In Berben´s WTC (ca 1999) this kind of style results almost in a caricature, but Berben´s style has become much more balanced since these early days.

[Mandryka]

I think the most obvious difference between Hantaï´s and Leonhardt´s style´s is Hantaï´s use of more pronounced agogics, in between resulting in a hectic and too "busy" expression. IMO he adds something interesting to Bach - particularly Bach´s earlier works (Toccatas e.g.), but his Scarlatti is much too busy and energetic to convince me. So nor am I a fan of his Scarlatti.

In Berben´s WTC (ca 1999) this kind of style results almost in a caricature, but Berben´s style has become much more balanced since these early days.

Yes and it was really that extreme quality in some of those Berben preludes and fugues which made me think that they were a reaction, as if he's trying to be as different from Leonhardt as it's possible to be.

Caricatural or not, I think he's very musical, you know. For me it's been quite revealing to hear that the music can be played like that.

[Que]

In Berben´s WTC (ca 1999) this kind of style results almost in a caricature, but Berben´s style has become much more balanced since these early days.

I have never heard it since it was in a larger box set, was it complete?

Anyway, I love Léon Berben's work nowadays - he is on the verge of becoming on of the leading Bach interpreters IMO.

Q

[prémont]

I have never heard it since it was in a larger box set, was it complete?

Anyway, I love Léon Berben's work nowadays - he is on the verge of becoming on of the leading Bach interpreters IMO.

Q

Yes, it is Book I and II complete. Whatever Berbens style looks like, the set is completely marred by an astonishing large number of wrong notes particularly in the modes with many accidentals but also elsewhere. I wonder if it is a live recording (nothing is mentioned about this on the sleve BTW).  I have to confess, that I parted with the set for that reason - large parts of it is really unlistenable.

[Mandryka]

I think the most obvious difference between Hantaï´s and Leonhardt´s style´s is Hantaï´s use of more pronounced agogics, in between resulting in a hectic and too "busy" expression. IMO he adds something interesting to Bach - particularly Bach´s earlier works (Toccatas e.g.), but his Scarlatti is much too busy and energetic to convince me. So nor am I a fan of his Scarlatti.

In Berben´s WTC (ca 1999) this kind of style results almost in a caricature, but Berben´s style has become much more balanced since these early days.

I wonder whether you'd say that Glen Wilson verges on the caricatural too. What prompted the question was listening to BWV 886 (A-flat major WTC2),  There's a little falling motif in the bass voice which supports the high melody right from the start. Leonhardt and Chorzempa use it to make the music into something contemplative and noble, stately and elegant and beautiful. Especially Chorzempa. Wilson  turns it into a dangerous burr of metal, a static discharge from a Van der Graaf generator, so the music becomes  restless, dangerous, sharp and spiky. Berben too.

Such an enormous difference between Leonhardt and his pupils. Presumably both were taking their inspiration from ideas about contemporary articulation, ornamentation and tempo, I really don't know.

[PaulSC]

I wonder whether you'd say that Glen Wilson verges on the caricatural too. What prompted the question was listening to BWV 886 (A-flat major WTC2),  There's a little falling motif in the bass voice which supports the high melody right from the start. Leonhardt and Chorzempa use it to make the music into something contemplative and noble, stately and elegant and beautiful. Especially Chorzempa. Wilson  turns it into a dangerous burr of metal, a static discharge from a Van der Graaf generator, so the music becomes  restless, dangerous, sharp and spiky. Berben too.

Such an enormous difference between Leonhardt and his pupils. Presumably both were taking their inspiration from ideas about contemporary articulation, ornamentation and tempo, I really don't know.

If you're interested in extreme applications of agogic emphasis in 886, don't miss Suzuki's recording. Maybe it comes off a bit mannered if listened to back-to-back with more mainstream renditions; but I like the sway of the upper voices and the cascading effect of the bass motive.

[Mandryka]

If you're interested in extreme applications of agogic emphasis in 886, don't miss Suzuki's recording. Maybe it comes off a bit mannered if listened to back-to-back with more mainstream renditions; but I like the sway of the upper voices and the cascading effect of the bass motive.

Yes, I'd listened to what Suzuki does with the prelude. I didn't get as much pleasure from it as you, I have to say. Jaroslav Tüma is as imaginative with agogic hesitations as Suzuki and I think his performance is more poetic (even though he takes it very slowly, and i'm not totally convinced that, at the end of the day, he finds the resources to justify the tempo.)

I'll just mention that the strangest, the most disconcerting,  886 prelude I've heard is Blandine Verlet's. She keeps changing the tempo. I thought the performance was random and ugly.

[early grey]

I've had a go at some difficult 78s of Bach harpsichord music. They either have high surface noise levels or booming low frequencies and the restoration procedure has been more intrusive and varied than usual. I'm wondering whether nevertheless the result might be acceptable. You can hear for yourselves here

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/vinyl7.php

[Sammy]

Yes, I'd listened to what Suzuki does with the prelude. I didn't get as much pleasure from it as you, I have to say. Jaroslav Tüma is as imaginative with agogic hesitations as Suzuki and I think his performance is more poetic (even though he takes it very slowly, and i'm not totally convinced that, at the end of the day, he finds the resources to justify the tempo.)

I'll just mention that the strangest, the most disconcerting,  886 prelude I've heard is Blandine Verlet's. She keeps changing the tempo. I thought the performance was random and ugly.

Yes, Verlet's 886 Prelude can be difficult to appreciate.  In that piece, I think Suzuki does fine.

[Mandryka]

Yes, Verlet's 886 Prelude can be difficult to appreciate.  In that piece, I think Suzuki does fine.

Her style in that prelude seems different from what she does elsewhere in Book 2. I wonder why.

[Mandryka]

Celine Frisch gave a concert in Paris a couple of weeks ago with music by Byrd and Ligeti.  The concert was (beautifully) recorded by France Musique. It's now available for the taking at the music site ConcertArchive, Well worth hearing I think. This is the best solo music making I've heard from Frisch, the best live harpsichord recording I've heard both from the quality of the interpretation and the quality of the sound, some of the most wonderful Byrd playing I've ever heard and the Ligeti opens up new harpsichord ideas for me. 

Le 25 janvier 2014, la claveciniste Céline Frisch interprète des oeuvres de Gyorgy Ligeti et William Byrd.
Concert donné au Théâtre des Abbesses à Paris.

♫ Gyorgy Ligeti
Continuum (1968)

♫ William Byrd                   
Rowland or Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home                             
The Bells                                                                                       
Will you Walke the Woodes so Wylde                                       
Prelude – Pavan and Galiard, en ut                                           
The Queen's Alman, Alman                                                         
John Come Kiss Me Now
   
♫ Gyorgy Ligeti
Passacaglia ungherese (1978) 


♫ William Byrd 
Fantaisie en la                                                                             
Ground en ut                                                                                   
Sir William Petre, Pavan and Galliard

♫ Gyorgy Ligeti
Hungarian rock (1978)

[Pat B]

It's now available for the taking at the music site ConcertArchive, Well worth hearing I think. This is the best solo music making I've heard from Frisch, the best live harpsichord recording I've heard both from the quality of the interpretation and the quality of the sound, some of the most wonderful Byrd playing I've ever heard and the Ligeti opens up new harpsichord ideas for me. 

That's quite an endorsement. What is concertarchive? Neither google nor concertarchive.com (or .co.uk) was fruitful for me. I've found the stream on www.francemusique.fr but would prefer a download for a variety of reasons.

[Mandryka]

That's quite an endorsement. What is concertarchive? Neither google nor concertarchive.com (or .co.uk) was fruitful for me. I've found the stream on www.francemusique.fr but would prefer a download for a variety of reasons.

I'll PM you with a link over the weekend. Concertarchive is a yahoo group, part of operashare.

I was at the concert and enjoyed it. The recording seems to capture some of the ambience of the event. In fact, the harpsichord sounds better than what I heard from my seat in the theatre.  I'm listening again now to the Byrd and I'm still enthusiastic.

[early grey]

On searching "Landowska" and ignoring the "you may have been looking for Landsat" message,  the Well Tempered Clavier thread mentions the poor sound of Wanda Landowska's recording so I don't know how the restoration of the Goldberg Variations I have done fares in comparison.  This was recorded in 1933 compared with 1926 for the Violet Gordon Woodhouse recordings of the three short pieces and the Italian Concerto.  See reply #173 for link.