COMPOSERS: Bach,Croft,Purcell
LABELS: JMS
WORKS: French Suites BWV 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817
PERFORMER: Thurston Dart (clavichord)
CATALOGUE NO: JMSCD 4 (distr. tel 0121 711 1975) Reissue (1958, 1961)
These archival discs preserve all the clavichord recordings Dart ever made. His influence on the rediscovery of early music was profound, especially enhancing fine performance with scholarship. He played clavichords by Thomas Goff, beautiful both to hear and see, though their stringing, feather-light on top, ringingly sonorous below, sometimes generates an over-assertive bass. The digital remastering is excellent. Dart made a strong case for Bach’s French Suites on this quiet, intimate instrument, despite their description – ‘...pour le clavessin’ – for harpsichord. The result is deeply expressive, especially in the poignant Sarabandes. So too is his anthology of Frescobaldi, including a ‘Meditation on my own future death’. George Pratt
Bach, Purcell, Croft
These archival discs preserve all the clavichord recordings Dart ever made. His influence on the rediscovery of early music was profound, especially enhancing fine performance with scholarship. He played clavichords by Thomas Goff, beautiful both to hear and see, though their stringing, feather-light on top, ringingly sonorous below, sometimes generates an over-assertive bass. The digital remastering is excellent. Dart made a strong case for Bach’s French Suites on this quiet, intimate instrument, despite their description – ‘...pour le clavessin’ – for harpsichord.
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:10 pm