The Secret Handel: Works for Clavichord [Import]

George Frederick Handel (Composer), Johann Philipp Krieger (Composer), Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow (Composer), Christopher Hogwood (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Christopher Hogwood
• Composer: George Frederick Handel, Johann Philipp Krieger, Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow
• Audio CD (March 14, 2006)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Metronome
• ASIN: B000CDYDGC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #310,430 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #9 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Baroque Dance Suites > Courantes
  • #25 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Baroque Dance Suites > Allemandes

Editorial Reviews

"Christopher Hogwood’s incisive mind regularly leads to strong and imaginative concepts and this, the first of a series of clavichord discs dedicated to Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, is a perfect example. The clavichord has a history of domestic usage, the intimate nature of its utterances seeming both exquisite and slightly enigmatic. Its main mechanical feature of stretching strings gives the player the ‘touch’ to grade dynamics, alter pitch through vibrating and other idiomatic colouring. These are delicate nuances with an instrument of such softness, offered as fleeting gestures, usually for the player’s ears alone." - GRAMOPHONE

A continuation of the series so successfully begun with The Secret Bach [MET 1056], The Secret Handel brings to light a treasury of keyboard music by Handel played on the most intimate of instruments, the clavichord. The Secret Bach was a Gramophone "Editor’s Choice" in the May 2004 issue, and one of "This Month’s Top 5 CDs" in BBC Music magazine the same month. The Secret Handel is expected to meet with similar acclaim. The Secret Handel includes a reconstruction by Hogwood and clavichord expert Derek Adlam of a suite for two clavichords by Handel of which only one part survives. The program is divided over two CDs in part because there is too much music for one, but also because Christopher Hogwood believes that listening at the appropriate level to a full 70 minutes of clavichord is unnaturally tiring; the clavichord is a very quiet instrument. Clavichords by Hass, Bodechtel and Gräbner, with full specifications in the notes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hogwood's Greatest Secret, October 15, 2007

By 

Chad P. Mcanally - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Handel: Works for Clavichord (Audio CD)

It is a great shame that for so long the clavichord has been relegated to the dark corners of the recording industry. It is a mystery to those of us who know the clavichord why this is the case. For centuries in Europe the most common domestic keyboard instrument wasn't the piano or the harpsichord but the humble clavichord. Her quiet splendor was favored by many of the great composers of the past for their best music.

Why then was it ignored? The clavichord's quiet tone surely is to blame, as the author of the previous review mentioned, and this makes it notoriously difficult instrument to record well. The instrument is one of the hardest to play well too, as any early keyboardist can attest to. Or maybe that this instrument forces you to listen carefully that makes it unpopular in a culture enamored with sheer volume and ugly noise.

That being said, I've been waiting a long time for a great artist to put out a series of recordings like this and show off what musicians like Bach, Mozart and Handel saw in this instrument. Longtime champion of the clavichord, Sir Christopher Hogwood is the perfect artist for the task.

Hogwood's artistry and understanding of this instrument are immediately apparent. (Sir Christopher's book on Handel is also highly recommended.) His choice of music on this CD is wonderful and I think Handel himself would have been rather pleased with the results. The whole series is a real triumph and have become some of my favorite recordings.

I'll cut to the chase. This is an excellent recording over all. Don't obsess about the sound quality, the audio quality is quite faith to good clavichord tone...bearing in mind that these are antique instruments and two and half centuries old! Listen with a relaxed and open mind in a quiet environment and you'll be amply rewarded!