I'm deceiving you a bit with the title. This is not a rondeau by Forqueray, this is La Portugaise by Forqueray performed by Jean Rondeau. I used to have Gustav Leonhardt's album of Forqueray which was lovely. But this is the first time I have heard a performance as good. Great playing. No, it is not a rondeau. It is in binary repeated form with some minuet in its genes.
I'm working on a large post about the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta by Bartók, but it isn't ready yet. Those analytical posts take more time!
Thanks for this deceptive detour Bryan. I think Jean Rondeau's artistry, if given a chance, might even make the harpsichord cool again. To my ear he gets a sound out of the instrument that is not the nerve-grating twang and clang that is so often associated with the plucked string keyboard. Perhaps it is his youth, or enthusiasm. Perhaps it is the power of YouTube. Whatever it may be, it is refreshing to see this timeless music revisited.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of a harpsichord, but I'm biased because I lived with a harpsichordist for two years so I really have it in my ears. But yes, I think Jean Rondeau is the most exciting of the current crop of harpsichordists.
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