Fabio Antonio Falcone - Cavazzoni & Antico: The Renaissance Keyboard (2010)

Tracklist
01. Recercare primo
02. Salve virgo
03. Recercare secondo
04. O stella mari
05. Perdone moi sie folie
06. Madame vous aves mon cuor
07. Plus ne regres
08. L'autre yor per un matin
09. Amor quando fioriva mia speme
10. Per mio ben te vederei
11. Chi non crede
12. Frena donna i toi bei lumi
13. Virgine bella che del sol vestita
14. Gentil donna
15. Che debb'io fare
16. Si è debile el filo
17. Ochi miei lassi
18. Odi cielo el mio lament
19. Animoso mio desire
20. Stavasi amor
21. Fiamma amorosa
22. Non resta in questa
23. O che aiuto o che conforto
24. Per dolor mi bagno el viso
25. Non più morte al mio morire
26. Dolce ire dolce sdegni
27. La non esser
28. Son io quel che era quel di
29. Che farala che dirala
30. O che dirala mo
31. Crudel fugge se sai
32. Me lasserà tu mo
33. Hor che'l ciel e la terra
34. Cantai mentre nel core
35. Recercada


On this CD Fabio Antonio Falcone presents recordings of possibly the two oldest examples of printed keyboard music. He uses three instruments, each of distinctive character: an Italian harpsichord after Alessandro Trasuntino (Venezia 1531) and a polygonal virginal after Domenico da Pesaro (ca.1550), both built by Roberto Livi. For Cavazzoni, he plays the organ of the Church of San Giuseppe, Montevecchio di Pergola, an instrument by a builder now unknown, which dates back to the end of the 17th century.

What survives of Cavazzoni is a small, precious collection mixing fantasias under the title of ricercari, without the implication of a single underlying melody which that term now encloses, but more a collection of contrapuntal flourishes. There are two – the earliest known such composed for keyboards rather than voices – and each is followed by a motet (Salve Virgo, Stella maris) and four canzone that are most probably transcriptions of original chansons. For these songs no vocal models have been located. Cavazzoni may well have arranged his own vocal compositions for organ.

On an appropriate instrument in good hands, the impression left by Cavazzoni tends towards a free-wheeling grandeur, whereas the surviving song transcriptions by the splendidly and aptly named Andrea Antico are of more tender intimacy, through perhaps less bold harmonic explorations but also closer observation of a singing line, whatever the chosen instrument.

Fabio Antonio Falcone has been a student of the harpsichord wizard Bob van Asperen, among others: this is his second recording for Brilliant Classics after a no less adventurous survey of the works of Giovanni de Macque (BC94998).

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