10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hogwood's Greatest Secret, October 15, 2007
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!
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