The sound of plucked-string keyboard instruments, overtone-rich and complex, sometimes brilliant but rarely imposing, is one of the more distinctive and delightful artifacts of the Renaissance and Baroque, and if you enjoy the ringing resonance and sharply defined articulation of harpsichord and virginals, you’ll find much pleasure in these performances of keyboard works of 17th-century English composer Thomas Tomkins. Tomkins, a student of William Byrd who was well-known for his sacred choral works, was more or less driven to focus on instrumental music late in his life when conditions brought on by the Civil War caused a cessation of his activities at the Chapel Royal. While “old-fashioned” in style, these 19 plainsong settings, fancies, grounds, dances, and variations nevertheless demonstrate considerable originality enhanced by a generally free-flowing, improvisatory character.
Keyboardist Carole Cerasi lavishes these pieces with bold confidence and occasional dashing flights of virtuosity (for example, the Galliard Earl Strafford and the two Grounds), and her playing will either enthrall you or unsettle you. You’ll find the highly arpeggiated, elaborately ornamented style she exhibits in pieces such as “A sad pavan for these distracted times” either invigorating or irritating, depending on your ear for these things. To me, in their weighty ornaments many of these works are like a robed, crowned, and sceptered monarch: fancy, not stylish; colorful, not artful; regal, not facile; pompous, not potent. Or, more crudely, it’s like a car erratically spinning its wheels–no rhythm, no progress. But there are lots and lots of notes, and through it all you’ll be hard pressed to question Cerasi’s technical prowess or sheer command of her instruments and repertoire. To my ears, the sound is more favorable to the virginals (fuller and more immediate) than to the harpsichord (more distant), but overall we get a good perspective and plenty of detail. Obviously, this is music and playing that appeals to particular tastes, and if this fits your fancy, go for it.
