Stijn De Cock - Fantasies & Transcriptions - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Following his acclaimed Linn debut, One Byrde in Hande, Richard Egarr turns to the music of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck for his new recording of fantasias, toccatas and variations. As well as being a notable composer Sweelinck was a skilled improviser and keyboard virtuoso whose knowledge of the stylistic innovations of his English contemporaries, such as Byrd and Morley, was evident in his work. Egarr performs on a harpsichord designed after Ruckers (1638); it's strict ¼-comma meantone tuning highlights the amazing chromaticism present in Sweelinck's music. This is particularly evident in the famous Fantasia Crommatica, a highly improvisatory, boundary-pushing work that showcases many of Sweelinck's innovations in keyboard composition. Within his lifetime Sweelinck was most celebrated for his variations on the popular tune Mein junges Leben hat ein Endt; Egarr relishes the intricate counterpoint which builds from the simple theme into a masterpiece of inexhaustible invention and limitless variety. A selection of fantasias and toccatas complete the programme in which Egarr's passion for the harpsichord and Sweelinck's music are enthusiastically conveyed. Album Tracks 1. Praeludium Toccata [21] 2. Phantasia a 4 [5] 3. Paduana Lachrimae [66] 4. Toccata Primi Toni [20] 5. Fantasia Crommatica A4 [1] 6. Toccata [30] 7. Esce Mars [58] 8. Toccata 2Di Toni [24] 9. Fantasia [3] 10. Mein Junges Leben Hat Ein Endt [60] 11. Ut Re Mi Fa Sol la 4 Voci [6]

Robert Schumann is in many ways typical of the age in which he lived, combining in his music a number of the principal characteristics of Romanticism, as he did in his life. Schumann's literary sensibility was exceptionally receptive to the ideas of fantasy and fairy tale. His poetic Hausmusik-music for domestic consumption- represents a motion from the outer to the inner world. This recording explores these affiliations in a unique way as most of the performances are the first to have been recorded on period instruments. The clarinet is a replica of the early 19th century type Schumann knew, all three string instruments use gut strings while the piano is an original 1843 Pleyel, and the music's intimacy and volatility are significantly intensified through their use. Album Tracks 1. Fantasiestücke, Op. 88 2. Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 3. Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 4. Märchenbilder, Op. 113 5. Fantasiestücke, Op. 111 6. Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132

Album Tracks 1. Tollet's Ground 2. Fantasia 3. Almain 4. Galliard 5. Fantasia 6. Almain 7. Galliard 8. Fantasia 9. Almain 10. Galliard 11. Fantasia 12. Almain 13. Galliard 14. Divisions on a Ground in D minor 15. Fantasia 16. Almain 17. Galliard