HutchFan Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 I know next to nothing about harpsichords, so I thought I'd start a thread where other forum members could weigh in with their thoughts & opinions. I'm especially interested in hearing about the recordings that others would take to their proverbial desert island. The only harpsichord album that's ever really knocked me out is Kenneth Gilbert's recordings of Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier on Archiv. (I wonder if gaining a foothold on Gilbert's WTC was made easier for me because I knew the WTC as performed by pianists. . . . I'm not sure.) Anyhow, that's really all I have to contribute. Otherwise, I'm all ears. Harpsichord fans, what say you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Dryden Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Wanda Landowska was the first harpsichord player that I heard, my dad had one or more of her LPs. I got this one from his collection: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 (edited) My favorite television show, Secret Agent (aka Danger Man), used a lot of harpsichord in its music. Start here at 1:15. Edited January 10 by GA Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Meade Lux Lewis, here on harpsichord, he also recorded on the celeste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Check out a young John Williams playing harpsichord on this Mancini track! And this fantastic track from The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., composed by Dave Grusin, arranged by Teddy Randazzo! But if you're looking for baroque music, check out Gustav Leonhardt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Dryden Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 if it's a somewhat dark and rainy desert island, I might take this cd with me like this is a favorite track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 I think we need to distinguish between modern harpsichords as built in the early 20th century as used by Landowska and in latter day pop and jazz, and baroqoue music played on historic instruments or copies, since these are totally different musical worlds. I will startanother thread. The excellent Rameau disc is an example for the latter is an example for historially informed practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 This is a really deep subject which I'm not qualified to answer (not being a big harpsichord listener). Maybe best to visit a classical forum. There you could find threads of scores of pages devoted solely to Bach WTC harpsichord recommendations, for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 I was strongly urged to check this out, and was delighted once I did. You can get the whole set or just components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 (edited) Michael Garrick featured his (home made) harpsichord on such Argo albums as 'Troppo' and 'Home Stretch Blues'. To great effect IMO - rare use of harpsichord in jazz. Woops - didn't realise this was a 'classical' thread. Edited January 10 by sidewinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted January 10 Author Report Share Posted January 10 (edited) 2 hours ago, T.D. said: Maybe best to visit a classical forum. There you could find threads of scores of pages devoted solely to Bach WTC harpsichord recommendations, for instance. Perhaps. But this thread is in the Classical section of this forum. And it's primarily Classical music that I was hoping to discuss. 2 hours ago, mikeweil said: The excellent Rameau disc is an example for the latter is an example for historially informed practice. This is precisely the sort of thing that I was hoping to discuss HERE -- on this thread. Related to your comment: Are there examples of modern-day harpsichords that are built to SOUND like older (baroque or whatever the timeframe may be) ones? If so, does that count as HIP? Are Landowska's recordings considered anachronistic in the same way that, say, Virgil Fox's Bach is anachronistic in the organ world? If so, is this strictly because of the instrument that she uses? Or is her performance style also "incorrect" (very much in quotes) and romanticized? 1 hour ago, JSngry said: I was strongly urged to check this out, and was delighted once I did. You can get the whole set or just components. Thanks Jim. Edited January 10 by HutchFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Then check out Leonhardt, as I mentioned previously. 1 hour ago, HutchFan said: Perhaps. But this thread is in the Classical section of this forum. And it's primarily Classical music that I was hoping to discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted January 10 Author Report Share Posted January 10 1 minute ago, Teasing the Korean said: Then check out Leonhardt, as I mentioned previously. O.K. Will do. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 1 hour ago, HutchFan said: O.K. Will do. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optatio Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Release date: Jan. 13, 2023 https://www.bach-leipzig.de/en/bach-competition/andreas-staier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 9 hours ago, T.D. said: This is a really deep subject which I'm not qualified to answer (not being a big harpsichord listener). Maybe best to visit a classical forum. There you could find threads of scores of pages devoted solely to Bach WTC harpsichord recommendations, for instance. My experienc with classical forums is that they are dominated by music lovers that prefer performances on modern piano and know little about harpsichord performance or are even opposed to it. 7 hours ago, HutchFan said: Perhaps. But this thread is in the Classical section of this forum. And it's primarily Classical music that I was hoping to discuss. Okay, I will try to do my best and explain some about the history of the instrument and the approaches to intrerpreting the music. It's a complex but intriguing subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 (edited) Here's an appetizer, Willism Babell's transcription of a Händel opera aria that shows pretty well what you can do. The player, Alexander von Heissen, is a rising star on the scene I witnessed his exams concert at the Frankfurt music university a year ago and have a ticket for his concert at the city's biggest venue next week. The man who built this copy of a Ruckers instrument happens to have his workshop in a 18th century house in Frankfurt where my grandparents used to live, btw. Edited January 16 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 (edited) Probably my top favourite male harpsichord player is Skip Sempé, born in New Orleans but moved to Europe for advanced studies and stayed. I can recommend any of his solo or duo harpsichord recordings, but these stand out (the first two were reissued with differerent covers: He linked several videos of his playing on his webpages: https://paradizo.org: https://www.youtube.com/user/CapriccioStravagante/videos If I could take only one Scarlatti disc to the desert island, it would be the one above! Edited January 16 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted January 29 Author Report Share Posted January 29 Thank you for this, @mikeweil. I will investigate Skip Sempé, posthaste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65Jaypee Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 As far as 'historically informed' performance is concerned, I am always amazed at how the United States seems to have completely ignored this movement, which took root in Europe over 60 years ago. There's hardly a country in Europe that doesn't have its top ensembles playing on early instruments, and I'm always amused when discussions come up about Bach and his organ music, or discussions about the harpsichord, to see these prehistoric recordings mentioned. As if nothing had happened since... Yes, Wanda Landowska was a pioneer, but apart from historical curiosity, her recordings are hardly relevant today. Sorry. As for Ruzickova, I was expecting a lot from this set after reading the rave reviews, but I have to admit that the sound of her harpsichord is rather unpleasant to say things politely. As for today's harpsichordists, I recommend Céline Frisch (her recordings of Bach's two WTC books are fantastic), Jean Rondeau (all his recordings on Erato), Justin Taylor, Skip Sempé (mentioned above), Pierre Hantai (his six discs of Scarlatti sonatas are must-haves), Blandine Rannou, Christophe Rousset, Andreas Staier, Masaaki Suzuki... So many names! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 5 hours ago, 65Jaypee said: Ss for Ruzickova, I was expecting a lot from this set after reading the rave reviews, but I have to admit that the sound of her harpsichord is rather unpleasant to say things politely. I find it quite...astringent, and view that as a positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 (edited) Knowledge about instruments and their construction has increased enormously over the last decades. The harpsichords Landowska used were made by piano builders trying to use methods of piano construction, which in the end did not yield satisfying results. (These instruments mockingly were described as "egg slicers" in Germany) It has a lot to do with string tension and tuning pitch, as well as soundboard construction, housings and pinboards. Only in the 1960's did builders start to study and meticulously copy historic harpsichords, and they learned a lot in that process. They now are on the same level as the great instrument makers in the 17th and 18th centuries. And they now know the differences between different historic workshops and regional styles etc. The sound of Landowska's or Ruzickova's harpschords has a lot to do with this. (I just got a 10 CD box with remastered Landowska recordings but still have to listen to it.) Plus, most engineers and record producers stll have to learn how to record these instruments properly. They love the sound ambience of churches, but harpsichords are not suppoosed to sound good in there. Saloons, private apartments, much smaller rooms with little reverb, and intimate acoustics are appropriate. Many of Gustav Leonhardt's best recordings were made at his house in Amsterdam. Overtones are very important, for the timbre. Church reverb absorbs these. As I said, a very complex subject. Edited February 2 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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