Classical Music

This recording has been reissued in the Essential Baroque Masterpieces collection with an exclusive interview of Skip Sempé:

"At this point of heritage, I think that the only thing one could really have inherited from Leonhardt is his musical conviction. Other than that, it is perhaps important to mention that it is France that has inherited much from Leonhardt, through his tradition and the subsequent creation a new generation of harpsichordists – some of whom studied with him and some of whom did not. In the 1960s and 70s, the French musical scene was extremely resistant to Leonhardt and to his approach, then, little by little, his approach eclipsed all previous influences in France, those of Landowska and the Ancien Régime. The direct result of this is that there are more fine harpsichordists in France than anywhere in the world. All this via Leonhardt, who began his career with Bach and finished it with Forqueray. This is somehow appropriate – even the finest harpsichords from his personal collection are now here with his old friends. And this very recording – as well as several others among Leonhardt’s last recordings – was made for a French label, largely due to the fact that Paris has become the centre of the harpsichord world.

I particularly miss him when I hear his fine organ playing. And when I play on his own harpsichords. Perhaps even more when I hear my friends and students play on them. Today, he is still extraordinarily present for me."

- Skip Sempé

The harpsichord isn't the most ingratiating instrument to listen to for long periods, but when you hear one that's well-made--full-bodied, with a resonance that's complementary and well-integrated across registers (no clangorous bass trying to meld with tinny treble), you're in for what can be a very satisfying experience. And just how satisfying depends on the player and how he or she uses the particular instrument's registers and stops, and how clearly the fingering articulates the rhythms, which means a knowledgable and skillful managing of the spaces between the notes as well as the notes themselves. Gustav Leonhardt needs no introduction to fans of the harpsichord or of early music in general; he's one of the pioneers of modern technique and scholarship. And his instrument, a copy of the famous 1579 Lodewijk Theewes claviorgan by Malcolm Rose, is a magnificent example of 16th-century keyboard construction. This harpsichord can really make a sound--and the recording (you can really turn it up!) fully complements the instrument's very personable timbre and room-filling dynamic range. Not that Byrd's music is especially flamboyant--but the harpsichord's substantial tone allows these 14 pieces to move easily from parlor to concert hall with no degradation of their subtle structures or genteel dance origins. There's nothing overtly virtuosic in Byrd's writing--but that's the point. These works were for relatively ordinary folks to enjoy--and there's no doubt that if you have any interest in harpsichord music at all, when you hear Leonhardt's performances you will be among them. [1/12/2006]

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

As the predecessors of Sony Classical, CBS Masterworks had not a catalogue of "authenticity-minded" recordings (the pioneering efforts of Raymond Leppard and Jean-Claude Malgoire notwithstanding), Sony made a distinctive new start and engaged indubitably one of the most experienced producers in the field of early music, Wolf Erichson. If the successes secured by such musicians as Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Frans Brüggen in the 1960s were the most visible signs to a wider audience of thorough-going change in the interpretation of music from medieval to baroque times, there was no doubt in assigning a part of the general success to the work of the production teams behind the recordings. Wolf Erichson was involved in producing recordings for many artists through his work for Das Alte Werk series. Success followed him since the early 1970s, when he founded the SEON production company. Later, Sony Classical’s SEON line brought the pioneers of period intruments and vocal performances such as Frans Brüggen, Amer Bylsma, the Kuijkens, Gustav Leonhardt, and Konrad Ruhland on the international market at a budget price. Recordings made on SEON enjoyed both popular and critical acclaim. Later, producer Wolf Erichson, supervised Sony's VIVARTE label, which was a label devoted solely to producing historical music using modern recording technologies. Music critic Tom Manoff said these digital recordings of the VIVARTE series are among the best he has ever heard. The upcoming VIVARTE collector’s boxed sets feature attractive repertoire selection out of the legendary catalogue of ancient music. The CDs appear in their original coupling and cover at a special price. Some VIVARTE sets also include selected recordings from the SEON catalogue to round up the collections of selected titles.

Gustav Leonhardt was one of the finest and most influential musicians of the entire twentieth century. On the harpsichord and the organ, from the music of Byrd to that of the sons of Bach, he was simply incomparable. The present release is a rare, remastered organ recording of Gustav Leonhardt from 1962, on one of Holland's most important historic instruments. This is his only anthology of English Renaissance repertoire on the organ, including works unique to this recording. This recording has not previously been available on modern formats, and has not appeared in any of the various ‘Gustav Leonhardt Editions’ issued by the labels for which he later recorded.

Charlotte Mattax Moersch performs major keyboard works by Bach, that are now usually performed on harpsichord, on the lautenwerk. The lautenwerk is sometimes referred to as a lute harpsichord; it is a harpsichord-like instrument with a major exception; the strings are gut, giving it a far more mellow sound. Bach often performed his own works on a lautenwerk.