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 : 
