Customer Reviews

Froberger: The Unknown Works

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I've been a fan of German classical music of the 17th and 18th centuries for a long time. I think people will love hearing the pieces music lovers have never heard for over three centuries! I adivse listeners to lower the volume a bit when the clavichord pieces 25-35 are over or the organ tracks will be too loud. I must admit that the clavichord is such a quiet instrument and the volume may need a little cranking to hear its tender and rich sound. But this one!

This is a superb collection of pieces recently discovered to be by Froberger (the player, Siegbert Rampe, is editor of the newest edition of F's works), played on harpsichord, clavichord, and organ. Contrary to another reviewer here these are NOT 'out of tune' but are played in mean-tone tuning, as they would have been originally. This does produce some sour notes, but the effect is entirely deliberate and represents an expressive faculty which was lost once well-toned tuning took over. Once your ears adapt to this it makes for very rich listening. Don't be put off.

The fact of the matter is that the quality of this recording is poor, and the instrument(s) were not tuned properly on all keys, and there were mis-notes, and there were off-tempo stanzas in the passages. Extremely disappointing. Not a CD one would wish to keep. Hard to understand from DG.