G. Frescobaldi - Toccatas & Partitas - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the publication of Primo Libro di Toccate (1615), Arcana is proud to make this reference recording of Girolamo Frescobaldi's most popular work available again. Here, Rinaldo Alessandrini shows to full advantage his well-known skills as keyboard virtuoso as well as his familiarity with the madrigal repertoire of the time, so important for a proper approach to this revolutionary book, whose basic elements are the affetti and where rhetoric became the interpretive key. Two period Italian instruments are used here, making it possible to rediscover the colors appropriate to Frescobaldi's music a harpsichord attributed to Album Tracks 1. Toccata Prima 2. Balletto - Corrente Del Balletto - Passacagli 3. Partite 14 Sopra L'aria Della Romanesca 4. Balletto E Ciaccone 5. Toccata Seconda 6. Capriccio Sopra la Battaglia 7. Toccata Quarta 8. Partite 12 Sopra L'aria Di Ruggiero 9. Partite Cento Sopra Il Passachagli 10. Toccata Terza 11. Partite 11 Sopra L'aria Di Monicha 12. Capriccio Fra Lacopino Sopra L'aria Di Ruggiero 1. Toccata Undecima 2. Capriccio Fatto Sopra la Pastorale 3. Toccata Duodecima 4. Toccata Nona 5. Partite 6 - Sopra L'aria Di Follia 6. Toccata Settima 7. Passachagli 8. Balleto Secondo - Corrente Del Balletto 9. Toccata Quinta 10. Balleto - Corrente Del Balleto - Passachagli 11. Toccata Sesta 12. Corrente E Ciaconne 13. Toccata Otava 14. Corente Quattro 15. Toccata Decima

Girolamo Frescobaldi is one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of music for harpsichord and organ, and had an enormous influence on other composers up until Bach. His brilliant toccatas reveal an inner world that fascinates today's listener. Frescobaldi's inspiration was born at the court of Ferrara and reached maturity in Rome, where the composer found himself among the major artists of the time who were actively creating a new artistic language. This 7-album set includes the four collections by Frescobaldi which, due to their exceptional innovative strength, have left the greatest mark on the history of music for the keyboard. A pupil of Leonhardt and Tagliavini, Francesco Cera is today recognized as one of the leading specialists in Frescobaldi, whose music he has helped to disseminate through concerts and master classes in Europe and the United States. Part of the music was recorded in the excellent acoustics of the Sala della Vigna in the Delizia di Belriguardo, the summer residence of the Este dukes, where the very young Frescobaldi was often present. Cera has chosen nine priceless instruments, including the Guglielmi organ of 1615 in the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella in Rome, and a copy of the harpsichord by Nicolò Albana, Naples 1584. The art historian Denis Grenier has been entrusted with the task of illustrating seven works of art that testify to the link between the music of Frescobaldi and the art in Rome of his time.

Album Tracks 1. Recercar Primo 2. Recercar Primo 3. Recercar Secondo 4. Recercar Terzo 5. Recercar Quarto, Sopra Mi, Re, Fa, Mi 6. Recercar Quinto 7. Recercar Sesto, Sopra Fa, Fa, Sol, la, Fa 8. Recercar Settimo, Sopra Sol, Mi, Fa, la, Sol 9. Recercar Ottavo, Obligo Di Non Uscir Mai Di Grado 10. Recercar Nono Con Quattro Soggetti 11. Recercar Decimo, Sopra la, Fa, Sol, la, Re 12. Canzona Prima 13. Canzona Seconda 14. Canzona Terza 15. Canzona Quarta 16. Canzona Quinta