MARCELLO : Complete Sonatas for Organ and Harpsichord (Chiara Minali · Laura Farabollini) 3CD-SET (2018) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless|

Historically informed performances of poised and inventive keyboard music from the Golden Age of the Venetian Baroque.

The epitome of a Renaissance man, Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739) won success and acclaim as a poet, writer, musician, lawyer, judge, administrator and philologist. Though his keyboard sonatas have appeared on several recorded collections of the Italian Baroque, they have rarely been presented in a comprehensive manner. In doing so, this album celebrates the personal even idiosyncratic style of a composer whose technical accomplishment facilitates rather than stifling his creative voice.

The 12 Sonatas were later published as Op.3. They date from early in Marcello’s career, and are mostly cast in three andfour brief movements, though the first and last of them, in D minor and C minor respectively, feature more extended forms. The minor-key sonatas are generally more dramatic and varied in mood; two complementary performances of the G minor Sonata afford the opportunity to compare the tone-colours of the different instruments used on the recording.

There are several sonatas not belonging to the Op.3 collection which are less often heard, and their inclusion here is valuable, alongside Marcello’s magnificent chaconne, subtitled ‘La stravaganza’: a 15-minute tour-de-force of keyboard invention.

The album is enhanced by a vivid account of Marcello’s music, life and career, written by the harpsichordist Laura Farabollini. On this recording she plays a modern Italian copy of a late-18th century French instrument by Taskin, with two manuals and four registers. Chiara Minali plays an organ built by Gio’ Batta Sona in 1812, in the Cornu Evangelii choir of the parish church of San Pietro in Cattedra at Valeggio sul Mincio near Verona.

From an early age Benedetto Marcello (Venice 1686 - Brescia 1739) proved to be a man of great versatility: a poet, writer, musician, lawyer, judge, administrator and philologist, holding important posts in these functions during his entire life. As a composer he wrote a substantial oeuvre, covering all important fields of composition: sacred and secular choral works, opera and a large body of instrumental music.
This 3CD set presents Marcello’s complete works for keyboard, both harpsichord and organ: the 12 Sonatas for harpsichord and a variety of works specifically written for organ. The Sonatas are in 3 or 4 movements, the slow movements showing an elegant lyricism, while the fast movements brim with vivacious energy.
Played by two expert Italian musicians: organist Chiara Minali on an 1812 Gio’ Batta Sona organ, and Laura Farabollini, who already recorded to great critical acclaim the complete keyboard works by Zipoli for Brilliant Classics. brilliant
BENEDETTO MARCELLO (1686-1739)
Tracklist :
Harpsichord – Laura Farabollini (tracks: 2-1 to 2-24, 3-1 to 3-7)
Organ – Chiara Minali (tracks: 1-1 to 1-21, 3-8 to 3-11)

LUDOVICO EINAUDI : Waves -The Piano Collection (2013) 7CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ludovico Einaudi’s aesthetic of emptiness has won him legions of fans worldwide, and Jeroen van Veen’s survey of the piano music which is central to Einaudi’s style belongs with his survey of minimalists including Glass and Nyman who are less concerned in music as an expressive language than as a commercial artefact. Likewise, his listeners absorb the music less in the sense of engaging with meaning than as backdrop to activity or release from stress. The works on this compendious collection are nearly all ‘songs’ of between 3 and 7 minutes, with the influence from pop culture that this brevity implies, and sharing with the pop world an economically aware employment of simplicity and repetition so as not unduly to tax the attention-span of the consumer. As Jeroen van Veen remarks, ‘Contrary to ordinary classical music, minimal music demands little of the listener but to escape life’s troubles for a moment; no comprehensive musical structures ask their full attention.’

All his compositions are more or less based on the music he heard when he was a child, when his mother played Chopin Preludes. Einaudi (grandson of the politician Luigi Einaudi) loved the almost hypnotic soft sound of the upright piano. Because of her he started to play the piano and tried to find his own way. The melody (if there is any at all) always goes down, hardly leaving the classical path of harmonies. His music is ambient, calm, meditative and often introspective, drawing on minimalism and contemporary pop.

Other information:
- Ludovico Einaudi may well become the “Satie of the 21st century”. His minimalist, deceptively simple piano works reach a massive audience well beyond the strict boundaries of traditional classical music. CDs with his music break sales records, the hypnotic calmness of his works being the perfect recipe against modern world’s stress and fatigue.
- Einaudi’s piano works fit in logically with Jeroen van Veen’s survey of Minimalist Piano Music, and this 7-CD set is the most substantial collection available at present.
- Booklet contains an introduction by Jeroen van Veen to the popular success of Einaudi. brilliantclassics.com
Tracklist :
CD1. Le Onde (1996)
CD2. Eden Roc (1999)
CD3. I Giorni (2001)
CD4. Una Mattina (2004)
CD5. Divenire (2008)
CD6. Nightbook (2009)
CD7.  In A Time Lapse (2013)
Piano – Jeroen van Veen 

V.A. — FEMALE COMPOSERS (2025) 25xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

What would it mean to ‘compose like a woman’? The present collection answers the question, in a literal sense, while undoing the premise on which the question was asked in the first place. In social and historical terms, it means enjoying privileges of upbringing, education and/or wealth that were historically denied to the vast majority of women. It means, on the part of the women represented here, a single-minded determination in pursuit of their vocation, helping them to overcome prejudice and sexism in a cultural, social and political milieu that has consistently denied women the opportunity to find and express their own voice in music. Only with movements of emancipation in the last century, and much more rapidly in the last 50 years, has this situation begun to be addressed and corrected.

What composing like a woman does not mean – as the music in this collection makes clear – is a definable set of qualities or characteristics to the music itself which would distinguish the work of female composers from the music composed by men.

This remarkable set gathers many individual recordings of music by women composers, which Brilliant Classics has quietly yet actively championed in their catalogue for decades, uniting it with exciting new outings, so that a comprehensive historical picture of the highly varied struggles and successes of women composers through the ages to our present time are chronicled and celebrated.

Recordings date from 1994–2024.
Booklet in English contains liner notes by Peter Quantrill.

The revival of interest in female classical composers reflects a growing recognition of their overlooked contributions to music history. For centuries, women composers were marginalized, their works overshadowed by their male counterparts. However, recent efforts by musicians, scholars, and institutions have brought these composers into the spotlight, highlighting the richness and diversity of their compositions.
This renewed focus stems from a broader movement toward inclusivity in the arts, challenging traditional narratives that have historically excluded women. The rise of feminist musicology has also played a key role, offering fresh perspectives on these composers' lives and works.
This comprehensive box set offers a wide spectrum of works by female composers, from the Medieval mystic Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) , through the Renaissance Isabella Leonarda (baptized 1620-1704), Francesca Caccini (1587-1640) und Barbara Strozzi (baptized 1619-1677), traversing the Baroque and Classical eras, and arriving in the contemporary field, with composers such as Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) and Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969).
A long due homage to the art and voice of female composers, spanning nearly a thousand years!  brilliant
Tracklist & Credits :

JOHANN WILHELM HÄSSLER — Keyboard Sonatas (Michele Benuzzi) 4CD (2016) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

As Michele Benuzzi himself explains in a booklet-essay, the idea for this comprehensive collection came about through the success of his smaller, 1CD survey of harpsichord music by Johann Wilhelm Hässler on Brilliant Classics (BC94293), released in 2012. Since then he has gone on to record no less stimulating Baroque discoveries, of music by Josep Galles (BC95228) and Christoph Nichelmann (BC94809).

J.W. Hässler (1747-1822) is not to be confused with Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612), whose music has hitherto been better nown and more frequently recorded. Born three years before the death of J.S. Bach, J.W. Hässler’s style embraces both the high-Baroque idiom and then the more edgy, episodic pre-Classical style of his sons, C.P.E. and W.F. Bach. Featured here are three published collections, published in Germany between 1776 and 1780 which reveal him moving from one into
the other. Mozart was fairly scathing about him upon the occasion of their one encounter, in Dresden in 1789 – ‘incapable of executing a fugue properly’ – but five years later Hässler moved to St Petersburg where he secured local fame and a small fortune.

Benuzzi has chosen to illuminate the composer’s stylistic journey from polyphony and counterpoint to much more freely composed forms with different instruments. The six sonatas in the 1776 collection are played on a harpsichord, then the 1778 set on a fortepiano and the 1780 ‘Leichte Sonaten’ on a clavichord, both latter instruments based on originals by Gottfried Silbermann, Bach’s favourite maker of keyboard instruments.

Fanfare gave an ‘absolute highest recommendation’ to Benuzzi’s previous Hässler album. ‘He is the ideal interpreter
to bring this music to light: highly sensitive to the gesture and emotion of the music, yet capable of carrying the musical narrative forward in telling fashion.’

The second instalment of the complete keyboard works by Johann Wilhelm Hässler.
Johann Wilhem Hässler lived from 1742 to 1822, the transition of the Baroque to the Classical era. His style embraces the Empfindsamkeit initiated by W.F. Bach and C.Ph.E. Bach and the heritage of J.S. Bach. These different idioms perfectly coexist to create his complex language, however, Hässler progressively abandoned the baroque heritage to develop a more modern style embracing a more classical aesthetic. The works on these 4 CD’s clearly mark the stylistic development of Hässler, from Baroque polyphony and counterpoint to the graceful classical language in Haydn style. Michele Benuzzi uses 4 different instruments, to achieve maximum variety and to follow the stylistic and instrumental progression of the works: harpsichord, clavichord, Silbermann piano and Broadwood piano. Benuzzi’s earlier recording of Hässler (BC94239) received excellent reviews: “a most intriguing composer..admirable performance” (Musicweb) Excellent liner notes by the artist. brilliant
JOHANN WILHELM HÄSSLER (1747-1822)
Tracklist :
Credits :
Harpsichord, Clavichord, Fortepiano – Michele Benuzzi

KREBS — Complete Organ Music (Manuel Tomadin) 7CD BOX-SET (2018) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Johann Ludwig Krebs (Buttelstedt, 12 October 1713 – Altenburg, 1 January 1780) was a favourite pupil of the great J.S. Bach (who regarded him particularly highly, punning on their two surnames declaring Krebs ‘was the only crayfish in his stream’) and a supremely talented inheritor of the composer–organist tradition of the Northern European Baroque. As a member of the last generation of these musicians, he lived in a time of marked shifts in taste, during the rise of the empfindsamer (sensitive) style, with its preference for balance and grace over the high baroque’s interwoven contrapuntal lines and chromatic harmony. For this reason his genius met with little acceptance during his long career, yet despite never securing a prestigious position and salary and never being commissioned to write he composed a significant body of music, particularly for the organ at which he excelled, his skill almost rivalling that of his mentor, J.S. Bach.

Today, long after the stylistic trends of his day have faded, Krebs is appreciated for his exceptionally refined music. For the organ this includes a variety of pieces in several improvisatory and contrapuntal forms, including a great many chorale settings. Thirteen of these come from his Clavier-Übung (keyboard method), the first volume of which was composed for the organ.

Manuel Tomadin has selected three instruments of the Northern European Baroque School, lesser-known than others in their native Germany and Holland and yet of very high quality, plus a modern instrument for the recording of the Clavier-Übung. The latter, built in 2007 by the Giovanni Pradella Workshop in the Italian alpine province of Sondrio, is nevertheless constructed according to ancient techniques in handcrafted hardwood and painstakingly cast and rolled pipes.

Johann Ludwig Krebs lived from 1713 till 1780, a period of transition from the Baroque to the Classical Period. Taught by his organist father he was sent to the St. Thomas School in Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach was his teacher. From 1755 on he was organist at the court of Prince Friedrich of Gotha-Altenberg, a position he held till his death.
Krebs had difficulty in adjusting to the changing musical tastes of his time, which tended towards the Empfindsame Stil and the Rococo. His forte was the “old fashioned” counterpoint, in which he excelled and was only paralleled by his teacher and mentor J.S. Bach, who was full of praise for him, calling him “der einzige Krebs in meinem Bach” (the only crab in my stream).
This new recording of the complete organ works by Krebs uses several historical organs: the Arp Schnitger organ of Noordbroek, the F.C. Schnitger organ of Zuidbroek, the Gottfried Silbermann organ in Freiberg, and a Pradella Organ (2007) of Valle di Colorina. Organist Manuel Tomadin is one of the foremost Italian organists of today, a scholar and passionate musician, with an impressive discography to his name: Husumer Organ Book, Alberti Complete Keyboard Works, and other North German organ masters. brilliant
JOHANN LUDWIG KREBS (1713-1780)
Tracklist :
Credits :
Organ, Recording Supervisor, Edited By, Liner Notes – Manuel Tomadin

SIMEON ten HOLT : Complete Piano Works (Jeroen van Veen) 20CD BOX-SET (2023) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The most complete collection ever issued of the Dutch Minimalist master, including the famous Canto Ostinato but also many previously unreleased recordings, all made by a pianist with an international reputation in the field of Minimalism.

‘Given his music’s virtuoso demands, and its spirituality, it is tempting to call him the Franz Liszt of minimalism.’ This assessment of Simeon Ten Holt by an American reviewer points to Ten Holt’s originality, his industry and his influence over modern Minimalism in the generations after its 1960s birth in America. As with Liszt in Weimar during the 1850s and 60s, many paths have led to and from Ten Holt’s music. It has long been recognised that with Canto Ostinato, his flexible sequence of 92 variations on a simple bass-line, Ten Holt built a masterpiece to stand alongside the likes of In C by Terry Riley, and Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians.

However, this box-set shows how much more there is to Ten Holt. The boy Simeon was introduced to the world of music by hearing his father play the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata one night, and from then on he was entranced by the possibilities of stretching time through patterns. Late in life, he remarked: ‘I am the time, and I have the time.’ This box traces his development as has never been possible before, from the early untitled Compositions, comparable to the Abstract Expressionist canvases of the time, through miniatures such as sets of Epigrams and Aphorisms, to the triumph of Canto Ostinato, and then far beyond, to the mystical cycles of Lemniscaat, Horizon and finally the renewed vigour of Eadem Sed Aliter (‘The Same but Different’), a late piece which, as the composer remarked, ‘takes away the limits of the concepts of ‘beginning’ and ‘ending’, ‘before’ and ‘after’.’

As he explains in a personal introduction, Jeroen van Veen first encountered the music of Ten Holt as a child, listening to the radio to (as he discovered much later) the premiere of Horizon: ‘the notes melted together to create such a rich tapestry of colour.’ He has since performed Canto Ostinato and the rest of Van Veen’s music many times and in many countries, and in 2001 he became the founder chair of the Simeon Ten Holt Foundation. His performances, as recognised by critics in publications worldwide, are beautifully recorded and bear the stamp of complete authority in this music.

- Simeon Ten Holt (1923-2012), a Dutch composer known for his mesmerizing and unique style, has left an indelible mark on the world of contemporary classical music. Born in 1923 in Bergen, Netherlands, Holt's musical journey began at an early age, and he later pursued his studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Throughout his prolific career, Holt created an impressive body of work, but it is his piano compositions that stand out as some of his most iconic and influential pieces. His music is characterized by a minimalist approach, where repetitive patterns and gradual transformations create an immersive and meditative experience for both performers and listeners.
- Holt's most renowned work, "Canto Ostinato," exemplifies his distinct compositional style. Composed between 1976 and 1979, it features interlocking motifs that unfold in a seemingly endless progression, captivating audiences with its hypnotic and trance-like quality. The piece can be performed by multiple pianos or other instruments, allowing for a rich and ever-changing sonic landscape.
- Beyond "Canto Ostinato," Holt's complete piano works span various compositions and periods, each exploring different facets of his minimalist aesthetic. Pieces like "Lemniscaat" and "Horizon" continue to intrigue and challenge performers and listeners alike with their intricate structures and harmonic richness.
- This set is a landmark of contemporary Minimalist piano music, and a labor of love of Dutch pianist Jeroen van Veen, champion of Minimalism, and ardent admirer and advocate of Ten Holt’s piano music. In certain works he is joined by fellow pianists Sandra van Veen, Fred Oldenburg and Irene Russo. brilliant

Tracklist & Credits : 

ARNO BORNKAMP — The Classical Saxophone (1994) 2CD | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1-1 -    Alexander Glazunov–    Saxophone Concerto In E Flat Major Op. 109    14:26
1-6 -    Charles Koechlin    Première Sonatine Pour Hautbois D'Amour Ou Saxophone, Op.194 No. 1    
1-7 - André Caplet–    Légende, For Alto Saxophone, String Quintet, Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon    13:33
1-11 - Charles Koechlin    Deuxiéme Sonatine Pour Hautbois D'Amour Ou Saxophone Soprano, Op. 194 No. 2    
1-13 - Jacques Ibert    Concerto Da Camera, For Alto Saxophone & 11 Instruments    
2-1 - Jules Demersseman–    Fantaisie Sur Un Thème Original (1860)    6:21
2-2 - Georges Bizet–    Intermezzo From L'Arlésienne (1872)    4:52
2-3    Modest Mussorgsky–    Il Vecchio Castello (The Old Castle, From Pictures At An Exhibition) (1874)    4:55
2-4    Maurice Ravel–    Pièce En Forme D'Habanera (1926)    3:29
2-10 - Jean Françaix    Cinq Danses Exotiques (1962)    
2-10 - Eugène Bozza–    Aria (1936)    4:02
2-11 - André Jolivet–    Fantaisie-Impromptu (1953)    4:12
2-12 - Rudy Wiedoeft –    Valse Vanité (1923)    3:59
2-15 - George Gershwin    Three Preludes (1927)    
2-16. - Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff–    Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14    7:13
2-17 - Pedro Itturalde –    Pequena Czarda (1983)    4:18
2-18 - Jean Matitia –    Devil's Rag    4:20
Credits :
Conductor – Jeroen Weierink (tracks: 1 - 1 to 1 - 13)
Orchestra – Camerata Amsterdam (tracks: 1 - 1 to 1 - 13)
Piano – Ivo Janssen - (tracks: 2 - 1 to 2 - 18)
Saxophone – Arno Bornkamp

CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN : Alkan Edition (2017) 13CD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
All Tracks & Credits

DENNIS JOHNSON | PHILIP GLASS | TOM JOHNSON | PETER GARLAND | TERRY RILEY | HAROLD BUDD | LA MONTE YOUNG (Jeroen van Veen) – Minimal Piano Collection Volume XXI-XXVIII (2017) 8CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Who is the true father of Minimalism? When the movement originated in the early 1960s, it sprang up organically – some composers played by the rules (even if they were rules of their own invention), while others experimented freely, unaware or unconcerned about how music 'should' be composed. One of those young mavericks was Dennis Johnson, who has now faded into almost complete obscurity after he gave up his musical ambitions for a career in mathematics. But his 1959 composition November can be considered one of the first, if not the first, properly minimalist work. It later went on to inspire La Monte Young (Johnson's class mate at UCLA) to write his prolific Well-Tuned Piano. Complete recordings are few and far between, and this new recording by Jeroen van Veen is the perfect introduction for anyone looking to get back to the roots of Minimalism.

Jeroen van Veen is one of the Netherlands' most prominent recording artists. This collection of Minimal Piano Music follows two previous successful albums, available on Brilliant Classics (BC8551 and BC9171). The last album provided a snapshot into the extensive scene of minimalist music today; this one takes us back to how it all began. Featuring several famous pieces from the original minimalist canon – including Philip Glass's Music in Contrary Motion and Terry Riley's Keyboard Studies – there are hours of beautifully relaxing and inspiring music here to enjoy.

This 8CD set bring the listener back to the roots of Minimalism, all works were written in the seventies of the 20th century, a time when the new aesthetics and perception of music, sound, repetition and time experience were creating a new chapter in music history. The longest piece is the 5 hour “November” by Dennis Johnson, a work in which the player is free to build the intervals and chords according to his own timing and spacing. The other composers in this set are Philip Glass, Tom Johnson, Peter Garland, Terry Riley, Harold Budd and La Monte Young. Recorded in his own studio by the most important protagonist of Minimalism today, Dutch pianist Jeroen van Veen. Van Veen has a myriad of recordings to his name, notably the multi CD boxes Minimal Piano Collection 1 and 2, complete Satie, Einaudi, Tiersen, Jacob ter Veldhuis, Simeon ten Holt and many more.
Van Veen wrote his own personal and illuminating liner notes for this set. brilliantclassics.
Tracklist:
CD1    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 1 to 6
CD2    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 7 to 12
CD3    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 13 to 18
CD4    Dennis Johnson: November I/IV: Part 19 to 24
CD5 Philip Glass : Two Pages / Music in Fifths / Music in Contrary Motion
CD6 Tom Johnson
CD7 Peter Garland
CD8 Teodoro Cottrau | Harold Budd | La Monte Young
Artist : Jeroen van Veen piano

JACQUES IBERT : Chamber Music (Complete) 2CD (1996) FLAC (tracks) lossless

Jacques Ibert (1890 - 1962) was a unique figure in 20th century France. In his long life he was influenced by the various musical styles, from the 'impressionists' Debussy and Ravel, through the neoclassicism of Satie and the Groupe des Six, to later more expressionistic composers. But foremost he was himself, and he wrote in a vivid, spiritual and often humorous style, in which his Gallic Esprit always shone forth. This set contains his complete chamber music output, for such diverse instruments al harp, guitar, flute, cello, bassoon, clarinet, saxophone, harpsichord and trumpet.  brilliantclassics.com   Tracklist & Credits :

LUTOSLAWSKI : Orchestral Works (Witold Lutosławski · Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra) 3CD (2009) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist & Credits :

BORODIN : Complete Chamber Music (Moscow Trio · Moscow String Quartet) 3-CD SET (2009) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Alexander Porfireyevich Borodin was the illegitimate son of a prince and his mistress, educated at home in St Petersburg by his mother. Although music was an early passion, he discovered his avocation once he matriculated at the city's Medical-Surgical Academy. A chemist he became, and a good one, though not without his extra-curricular enthusiasms: the head of department once admonished him thus, mid-lecture: 'Mr Borodin, busy yourself a little less with songs. I’m putting all my hopes in you as my successor, but all you think of is music: you can’t hunt two hares at the same time.'
This release contains a selection of chamber music, great performances by the Moscow Trio and the Moscow String Quartet.  brilliantclassics.com   Tracklist & Credits :

ALBERT ROUSSEL : Complete Chamber Music (Jet Röling · Irene Maessen · Schönberg Quartet · Paul Verheij) 3-CD SET (2007) APE (image+.cue) lossless

A rare collection: all of Roussel’s music for small ensembles. It is a mix of varied combinations; sometimes highly unusual ones like piccolo and piano. A late starter, Roussel’s compositions mainly date from the first decades of the twentieth century.

Composer Albert Roussel has written a relatively limited oeuvre of delightful music. His works sound typically French and increasingly impressionistic. Then a neo-classical period followed. Somehow Roussel has not benefited from the popularity of music by contemporary French composers.

Recordings on this release include rarely performed music like the Aria no. 2 for Oboe and Piano, and Music from Elpénor, Poème radiophonique for flute and string quartet (1937). Also included are the Deux poèmes de Ronsard, Op. 26, for flute and soprano.

Great performances by prominent Dutch musicians like Paul Verhey on the flute, horn player Herman Jeurissen and cellist Herre-Jan Stegenga. brilliantclassics.com
Tracklist & Credits :

HENRY PURCELL : Complete Chamber Music (Musica Amphion · Pieter-Jan Belder) 7CD BOX-SET (2007) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

A rare treat: instrumental chamber music by Henry Purcell. In spite of his past and present international fame too little attention has been paid to this part of his oeuvre. This collection offers a great variety: from ‘the Staircase overture’ to voluntaries for organ.

Henry Purcell’s present fame is mainly based on some dramatic works – Dido and Aeneas -, his anthems and numerous songs. In his relatively short life he managed to compose in every genre usual at the time. Well hidden among a vast amount of vocal music lies a relatively small collection of chamber music pieces.

Together with Handel, Henry Purcell was and is England’s most important baroque composer. He was also an organist and as such left behind remarkable little for his instrument. Pieter-Jan Belder - the keyboard player who also recorded the complete Scarlatti sonatas - combined this with Purcell’s varied music for harpsichord, which includes eight suites. Here, together with, his ensemble Musica Amphion, he also performs the bulk of Purcell’s chamber music: listen and enjoy. brilliantclassics.com    Tracklist & Credits :

Lyadov : Complete Piano Music (Marco Rapetti) (2011) 5CD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

The Russian late Romantic composer Anatoly Lyadov is somewhat overlooked compared to his famous contemporaries, although Modest Mussorgsky had tipped him for greatness: “A genuine talent! Easy, natural, daring, fresh and powerful…” Lyadov’s work shows great precision and attention to detail, but he did not fulfil his potential, because he was also unreliable, very self-critical, and totally lacking in ambition.

This superb five-CD set of Lyadov’s Complete Works for Piano features many first recordings, and reveals as never before his wonderful contribution to this repertoire. His piano works form the largest part of his output, and his idiomatic writing for the keyboard proves that he was an accomplished pianist. His style was firmly rooted in the European romantic tradition, particularly the music of Schumann and Chopin, but he also liked to include traditional Russian and Polish themes. He was not interested in sonata form and none of his piano works are very long. In fact his two major piano Works are sets of variations. He composed a large number of charming piano miniatures, the most famous being the enchanting Musical Snuffbox, a regular encore piece, and the delightful Marionettes.Many of these intimate, polished little jewels are minor masterpieces, and deserve to be a regular part of the piano repertoire.There are also joint compositions, such as the ingenious cycle of piano Paraphrases written together with Borodin, Cui and Rimsky-Korsakov, all members of the so-called Mighty Handful set of composers. Scriabin’s harmonic vocabulary provided the model for Lyadov’s later works, including the Four Pieces Op.4. brilliantclassics.com
Tracklist & Credits :

LUZZASCHI : Complete Keyboard Music (Matteo Messori) (2014) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

The Ferrara-born Luzzasco Luzzaschi might not exactly be a household name, but his contribution to the development of the madrigal places him within that elite category of composers who helped shape the course of music history. The favourite musician of Duke Alfonso II, the last of the legitimate d’Este (the most intellectual and cultivated dynasty of Renaissance Italy) it was Luzzaschi who, in his role as the finest keyboard player of the period, cultivated the open score approach to performance. This was essentially a sort of motet of madrigal without words that focused on highly refined counterpoint and on the complexity of fugues i.e. four-voice writing, without recourse to embellishment or any added prettiness.

Only the second of the composer’s three books of ricercari, as detailed in this recording, has survived – a regrettable fact, given that the 1578 manuscript is unrivalled in its complexity among keyboard music of the second half of the 16th century. The book also comprises the only known free-form composition by Luzzaschi, the melancholic Toccata del quarto tuono; also included on the recording are two counterpoints on the plainchants ‘La Spagna’ and Ave Maris stella, as well as the simple, unpretentious Canzona – Maestro Messori’s keyboard arrangement of an ensemble piece published in the Raveri collection of Canzoni per sonare con ogni sorte di stromenti (1608) by various composers.

Indeed, Messori’s interest in and understanding of this period of music history is confirmed by his critical open score edition used for the recording (shortly to be published by Ut Orpheus at the time of writing), as well as his assured performances. Using different Italian harpsichords to convey a sense of ‘chamber music’, in addition to the organ and spinet, he conjures up the refinement and splendour of the Ferrarese court with ease and grace, presenting a strong case for why this Renaissance composer - and former teacher of Frescobaldi, who further cultivated keyboard open-score notation – deserves to be better known. brilliantclassics.com   Tracklist & Credits :

GEORG BÖHM : Complete Harpsichord and Organ Music (Simone Stella) 4CD BOX-SET (2013) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Spanning 4 CDs and presenting over three hours of absorbing listening, this charming release explores the musical output of Georg Böhm – one of the most important German organists and composers around the turn of the 18th century, and who is considered to have had a major influence on the training of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The compilation focuses on the main nucleus of Böhm’s output, his works for keyboard, and divides equally into those for harpsichord and/or organ. Of chief interest among the pieces for the former instrument are the 11 Suites, works that were probably written for domestic performance, and these are joined by a range of other genres also common to the period. From the French Overture style of the Prelude in F to the art of variation that is the Chaconne in G, Böhm’s compositions abound in inventive detail, and we soon move onto the works for organ – where the composer’s most important contribution to North German keyboard music, that of the chorale partita, comes to the fore.

Performing all these works is Simone Stella, one of today’s most celebrated early music specialists and whose discography already includes two recordings for Brilliant Classics (Buxtehude’s Complete Organ Music 94422; Buxtehude’s Complete Harpsichord Music 94312). The release offers a fascinating insight into what is perhaps a lesser-known facet of the Baroque repertoire, and is certain to delight keyboard music aficionados. brilliantclassics.com    Tracklist & Credits :

GIOVANNI GABRIELI : Complete Keyboard Music (Roberto Loreggian) 3CD (2017) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Having received his first exposure to music through his uncle Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli grew up in the creative atmosphere of Venice’s San Maurizio district and within the walls of St Mark’s Basilica, where he would become organist in January 1585. In the years in which Giovanni was active, the churches of Venice bore witness to the emancipation of instrumental music from vocal music. At St Mark’s, music for the organ appeared alongside liturgical choral music, independent from the latter and comprising motets and instrumental pieces. Indeed, in Gabrieli’s Venice a distinction was being made between virtuoso organ soloists and choral accompanists.

His works for keyboard, whilst relatively scarce in his catalogue, embrace all of the main genres in fashion between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. This recording presents the entire body of work, and was put together predominantly on the basis of the manuscripts held by the Foà and Giordano collections in Turin. Following the removal of numerous works and the discovery of new manuscripts, the recent Charteris (C.) catalogue comprises four toccate, 16 ricercari and six canzoni da sonar. These are joined by the 11 Intonationi d’organo designed originally as introductions to vocal works or other instrumental compositions.

Performing these works is noted musician Roberto Loreggian, who released the 6-CD set of the Complete Keyboard Music of Giovanni Gabrieli’s uncle, Andrea, on Brilliant Classics in 2015 to great critical acclaim (BC94432). He has collaborated on several other recordings for Brilliant Classics including the C.P.E. Bach Edition (BC94960) alongside Federico Guglielmo, praised by Gramophone for its ‘fine style and spirit’, and the Frescobaldi Complete Edition (BC94111), which earned him the 2009 ‘National Classical Music Track Award’.

To faithfully recreate the early-17th-century sounds Gabrieli himself would have heard, Roberto Loreggian returns to the historic 1532 Vincenzo Colombi organ at the Valvasone cathedral in northeast Italy, the same instrument he used for his Andrea Gabrieli set and the only 16th-century Venetian organ still in existence. The harpsichord on the recording also dates from the 17th century.

Giovanni Gabrieli (1554/56-1612) was born in Venice into a musical family, his famous uncle Andrea was organist of the San Marco. After serving Duke Albrecht V in Munich Giovanni Gabrieli returned to Venice, where he eventually succeeded his uncle as organist of the San Marco.
Gabrieli was one of the most influential composers of his time, the transition from renaissance to Baroque. In his vocal works he invented the polychoral singing, featuring multiple choirs and instrumental ensembles.
This new recording contains his complete output for the keyboard, organ and harpsichord. His Canzones, Ricercares and Fantasias are highly innovative, virtuoso works in which in some of them he introduced for the first time dynamic markings.
Roberto Loreggian is one of the foremost keyboardists of Italy. In this recording he plays on a historic organ in Valvasone, built around 1533 by Vincenzo Colombi, the specifications of which are included in the booklet, which also contains an essay on Gabrieli by a noted musicologist.  brilliantclassics.com
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FUX : Complete Music for Harpsichord (Filippo Emanuele Ravizza) 2CD (2017) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Born in 1660 into a family of peasant farmers, Johann Joseph Fux died in 1741 as Kapellmeister at the Habsburg court in Vienna, a prestigious post that he had held for almost 30 years: an extraordinary rise in fortune and testament to both considerable gifts as a musician and, self-evidently, an inclination towards hard work and self-improvement.

He is best known now for the Gradus ad Parnassum. This monumental treatise was published in 1725 at the Emperor’s expense and quickly became an indispensable manual on counterpoint, studied and absorbed by generations of composers thereafter. However, its formidable reputation should not overshadow his talent as a creative musician, which is displayed here in five keyboard partitas, a colourful Capriccio and a set of 12 minuets as well as a trio of shorter pieces. In all of them may be heard – and enjoyed – a surprising degree of charm, grace and easefully written melody. Indeed, Fux’s achievement was a perfect balance between rational precision and feeling, artifice and spontaneity.

These new recordings by Filippo Emanuele Ravizzi have few rivals in the current catalogue. Ravizzi is a pupil of Bob van Asperen and Gustav Leonhardt: a distinguished pedigree, which brings a fine feeling both to the tripping, French-style dance rhythms of the partitas and to the potential for darker expressive coloration in the Capriccio and the long D major chaconne (not to be confused with a better-known G major work in the same form, composed by Fux for a chamber ensemble of strings). All these works, not forgetting the Aria passeggiata in C, with its masterful handling of counterpoint (as one might expect) became reference works for Bach and Handel in their turn. Anyone curious to hear the work of a formative figure in the Baroque period will take great pleasure from this set.

Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741) overcame his humble origins as son of peasant farmers brilliantly, eventually holding the prestigious post of Kapellmeister at the Hapsburg Court in Vienna for over 30 years, serving 3 Emperors in a row, all of whom were in the possession of a passion for music.
This new recording contains Fux’ complete works for harpsichord: the 5 Partitas, a Capriccio and several miscellaneous works. His style is a perfect blend of French and German keyboard style: French in its elaborate ornamentation, elegance and brilliance, German in the strict counterpoint. Fux is also the author of “Gradus ad Parnassum”, the monumental treatise on counterpoint which became a point of reference for many generations to come.
Harpsichordist Filippo Ravizza plays on a copy made by Luca Vismara of a magnificent Dulcken harpsichord, built in the Flemish tradition and kept in the Smithonian Institute in Washington.
Excellent liner notes written by the artist in both English and Italian, as well as information on the instrument. brilliantclassics.com   Tracklist & Credits :

CLÉRAMBAULT • MARCHAND : Complete Harpsichord Music (Yago Mahugo) (2016) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Straddling the divide between the early French harpsichordists, such as Chambonnières and D’Anglebert, and the later masters of the genre – Couperin ‘Le Grand’, Rameau and Duphly – composers of this inbetween period have in the past been sadly neglected. This release, featuring the complete published harpsichord music of Louis-Nicolas Clérambault and Louis Marchand, who flourished at the turn of the 18th century, reverses that trend, highlighting the fascinating developments taking place in French harpsichord music of the time.

Clérambault was better known for his secular cantatas and organ music, but his sole publication for harpsichord, the Livre de pièces de clavecin, reveals a composer highly adept at writing for the keyboard instrument too. Each of the two suites is divided into ten dance movements, all remarkably diverse. The C major Suite contains a lively Allemande and Gavotte, each followed by a Double, which elaborates on the original. The two Sarabandes are darker in tone, marked ‘fort grave’ and ‘gravement’ respectively. The C minor Suite is also more serious, with some surprising dissonances occurring in the Sarabande. Marchand, too, proves himself to be a thoughtful composer: his Suite in D minor is among the finest of the period, particularly the splendid, introspective Chaconne. In contrast, La Vénitienne is an exuberant, lively piece, short but perfectly formed.

Spanish performer Yago Mahúgo has already released a highly-acclaimed album on Brilliant Classics comprising Royer’s complete harpsichord music (BC94479); Arkiv Music called it a ‘fine disc, which one would be proud to have in their collection’, and it was selected as CD of the Month in Spanish magazine Scherzo. Yago Mahúgo is founder and conductor of Ímpetus Madrid Baroque Ensemble, which has performed at some of the leading Spanish festivals, as well as concert halls nationwide.
The complete harpsichord works by Clerambault and Marchand on one CD!
Louis-Nicholas Clérambault and Louis Marchand are typical representatives of the French harpsichord style, flourishing in the first half of the 18-th century. Their Suites (multi movement sequels of dance forms) are grand, stately, rhythmically free and featuring lavish embellishments, all in perfect accordance with the courtly life at Versailles, the palace of Sun King Louis the XIV.
Harpsichordist Yago Mahugo is winner of several prestigious Competitions, notably the Bruges Early Music Competition. His previous recording on Brilliant Classics of works by Royer received several 5 star reviews in international music magazines, and was “CD of the Month” in the Spanish magazine Scherzo.
Excellent liner notes written by a musicologist. brilliantclassics.com
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