In our century, 16th-century English composer Orlando Gibbons’ reputation rests primarily on his choral church music–a revered body of service music, hymns, motets, and anthems. But in his own time, Gibbons was known for his formidable talent as a keyboard player. At the end of his career he occupied one of the most prestigious musical positions in England–organist of Westminster Abbey. Many contemporary references confirm his stature as “the best finger of the age.” In his capacity as a composer and keyboardist, he wrote many works for harpsichord, virginals, and organ. This disc focuses on the solo forms known as pavans, galliards, and fantasias. These aren’t virtuoso pieces in the sense that we usually apply the term today. Rather, they observe a kind of polite formality of structure and harmonic convention that’s easy on the ears if not exactly likely to increase the pulse rate. There’s a delightful intellectual aspect to the way these pieces develop that can keep your mind engaged if you wish–but the pleasant stream of melody and harmony can just as well lull you into a more complacent listening space.
However you listen, the success of any one of these pieces primarily depends on a clever and inventive player who can skillfully join phrases and illuminate repeated sections with the essential connective tissue of arpeggiated fills and ornaments. James Johnstone is a vastly experienced keyboardist and happens to be just the clever, inventive, imaginative player this music requires. He’s also a fine technician who commands both harpsichord and virginals with impressive clarity and expressive consistency. His finger movements in phrasing and in articulation of chords and the most subtle of ornaments shows a deep feeling for the sonorities–which is everything when you’re dealing with such overtone-rich instruments and their unforgiving key action. Johnstone is fortunate to have such brilliantly colored, full-bodied instruments with which to explore Gibbons’ perfectly crafted pieces such as the improvisatory Fantasias and a tour de force like the Lord Salisbury pavan. He also gets a very complementary effort from his recording team, who make sure we hear the whole instrument in a most agreeable setting. There’s no in-print competition for this program–Gibbons’ keyboard music usually only appears on collections with other composers–so if this is your thing, or if you just want some mostly gentle, harmonious, and very well-played early English keyboard music written by one of its masters, you can’t do better than this.
