The concept for this 1968 recital is variations, whether they are based on a melody (such as William Byrd’s “John Come Kisse Me Now”) or a particular key (Handel’s G major Chaconne, for example). But the disc’s title also is a neat way of summarizing the wide range of composers represented, from Antonio de Cabezón to Couperin. It’s an attractive program, particularly so for the less-familiar composers, and quite beautifully played, especially the Poglietti.
However, there seems to be a problem with the harpsichord: throughout the recording there is a high-pitched, loud plink that emanates whenever soloist Isolde Ahlgrimm strikes certain keys. I can only assume that this is due to a mechanical difficulty with the instrument. But was this deemed so unimportant to the original release–and to the reissue as well? Ahlgrimm certainly must have been aware of it–and wouldn’t the recording engineer have noticed? Whatever the case, I found myself counting pings-per-track rather than focusing on the music (and repeated listenings made the problem ever more obvious)–and this is unacceptable, even on a budget release where the performances are good and the sound is otherwise fine.
