The 39 baroque and early classical-period harpsichord miniatures Ricardo Magnus has assembled for this release are curated with great care and consideration in regard to contrast, cumulative trajectory, key relationships, and everything else that makes for a strong and engaging program.
For example, Magnus begins with five works in C major by Duphly, J.S. Bach, Dandrieu, Fischer, and Fux that share certain expressive gestures yet are differentiated by Magnus’ subtle changes of registration. The lute stop resonates with presence in the de la Barre Prélude’s upward scales, setting the stage for the decorative lyricism of Scarlatti’s D minor sonata K. 32, which in turn provides a foil to Louis Couperin’s more rhapsodic and harmonically plangent Prélude non mesuré in F major. Similarly, J.S. Bach’s gentle toccata-like Prelude BWV 924 slips into Louis Couperin’s more unfettered prelude in the same key, while Telemann’s sunny, extroverted Fantasia No. 1 shines even more because it’s preceded by a darker 31-second D minor prelude by Croft. And so it goes throughout the disc.
A program so intricately and effectively interwoven needs a performer who can find a specific character for each piece while still conveying a larger-scaled design by way of tempo choices and strategically placed pauses. Magnus is that performer and much more. He channels his considerable virtuosity toward musical ends, doling out tempo fluctuations and agogics with fluidity and proportion, without any of the rhythmic jerkiness that many highly touted harpsichordists espouse in the name of “style”. Furthermore, Magnus’ attractive instrument simply blossoms via Ambitus’ vibrant, full-bodied engineering, and the extensive program notes are informative, thoughtful, and personal in a thankfully non-indulgent vein. Indeed, everything about this release is classy, intelligent, and musically fulfilling, and deserves nothing less than my highest rating and recommendation.
