Trevor Pinnock (b.1946) is one of the most versatile of British musicians, particularly in the areas of Baroque orchestral music with period instruments (which he led and conducted from 1972 his much recorded 'English Concert' ensemble) and the exploration of Baroque harpsichord repertoire. This plucked string instrument, developed before the invention of the pianoforte family, attracted the interest of Pinnock in his youthful period of learning the piano, and for some time he has been regarded as one of the finest harpsichordists on the planet.

Pinnock evidently offers this album to summarize the harpsichord's history and his mastery of its style. Its title is 'Journal' and sub-title 'Two Hundred Years of Harpsichord Music', so it will likely be attractive to beginners of the harpsichord world as well as existing fans. The disc's booklet has a 'Performer's Note' by Pinnock and an essay by the well-known Baroque scholar John Butt, which together offer a solid background. Don't be too puzzled, however, by the two pages after the track listing in the book, oddly carrying a part of the abstract marine painting by Balfour Mount repeated on the front page, with a fairly substantial quotation about the sea and shores from 'Moby-Dick' by Hermann Melville. How this has anything to do with a harpsichord recital escapes me; I would rather have had a good photo of the harpsichord itself, in all its decoration, rather than just a small photo of Pinnock's hands resting on the keys - although this does tell us that the instrument had two keyboards.

Pinnock relates how he came across this harpsichord, a model by David Jacques Way of Stonington, Connecticut, after a model by the C18th French maker Henri Hemsch. Since recording was intentionally as a recital rather than a scholarly lesson, Pinnock does not play a series of harpsichord pieces from ages appropriate to each composer, he uses his favourite instrument for the whole programme. As soon as it starts playing, the ears tell one what a wonderfully responsive harpsichord it is; sparkling treble and colourful mid-ranges, with an impressive bass which sports a deeply resonant bass growl to challenge any modern Steinway'spiano bass. There is also a Lute stop, which is displayed colourfully in Frescobaldi's 'Balleto'. So vivid are Pinnock's performances and how clear is his understanding of his instrument, one could use the term 'symphonic' for the appropriately varied timbres in many of the pieces. For the benefit of listeners bestowed with perfect pitch, the older pieces were played with a generalised mean tone temperament, and the later ones with unequal temperaments for the rest of the programme.

Despite his age, Pinnock's keyboard agility is remarkable, with beautifully clear agile finger roulades and accurate ornaments. From the simple canonic Cabezon to the busy galant style of Scarlatti's improvisational sonatas at the end of the delightful programme, this album pays homage to both Baroque harpsichord music and to Pinnock's golden performance.

Conjoining with the performance is an intimate but beautifully balanced recording by the Linn team, especially in 5.1 multichannel. The venue, Coyler-Fergusson Concert Hall (University of Kent at Canterbury UK) is also a major contributor. This venue is quite a large modern concert hall, with its pure ambience produced by the warm wood panel coating of floor, walls and ceiling. These splendid acoustics can be to be altered for particular sonic purposes and was designed and executed by experts ARUP. The Linn team appropriately make the atmosphere around the harpsichord sound like that of a relatively large room in a wealthy Baroque family's home.

High recommended for this carefully-thought and brilliantly executed enterprise by Pinnock. and Linn. Just sit comfortably and enjoy!

Copyright © 2016 John Miller and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Stereo):

Sonics (Multichannel):