Grace in All Simplicity

For all the celebrations to mark the tercentenary of Purcell’s death last year (1995), his keyboard music has remained very much in the shadow of his works for the theatre and Church; yet the simplicity and grace of these more intimate pieces make them immediately appealing. Several of them are, in fact, transcriptions of earlier vocal works, and therein lies the key to their interpretation. Of the two performers, Olivier Baumont is the more flamboyant, invariably choosing faster tempi than Sophie Yates, and playing with fluidity, panache and humour. But Yates’s guileless approach really captures the music’s ingenuousness, even if she occasionally sounds a little too strait-laced. Her harpsichord (a copy by Andrew Garlich of an instrument made in 1681 by Jean-Antoine Vaudry, now in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum) could hardly be better suited to the music, with its sweet, warm sound, beautifully reproduced by the Chandos engineers, who don’t make the all too frequent mistake of recording the instrument too close. Baumont’s harpsichord has a sharper tang, and he also uses a virginals for the Grounds and individual lessons. Both artists have much to offer, and the final choice will depend on whether you prefer your Purcell plain (Yates) or piquant (Baumont).

Sinead O'Connor has transcended much of the pain and anger of her public persona with this moody, evocative set of songs. Touching upon themes of fraternity and maternity with folkish grace and childlike metaphors, O'Connor's UNIVERSAL MOTHER reveals aspects of her longings and fears in cryptic freeze frames of song and sorcery that are haunting in their simplicity, and unsettling in their focus on doomed innocents.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21
Jan Lisiecki / Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks / Christian Zacharias
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 224 MB | Full Artwork: 77 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Deutsche Grammophon # 479 0061 | Country/Year: Germany 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School, Piano

"…The Canadian pianist played Mozart's piano concertos with obvious assurance and skill, despite his youth . . . obviously a pianist to watch out for."