Naoko Akutagawa - Storace: Harpsichord Music (2010)

Tracklist

01. Ciaccona
02. Passagagli in C minor
03. Ballo della Battaglia
04. Toccata
05. Variations on La Monica
06. Partite sopra Il cinque Passi
07. Passagagli sopra A la mi re
08. Aria sopra la Spagnoletta
09. Corrente
10. Capriccio Sopra Il Passo E Mezzo
11. Follia
12. Altro Passo E Mezzo

Bernardo Storace’s Selva di varie compositioni, published in Venice in 1664, is one of the greatest outpourings of sheer inventiveness in music history. The two passacaglias on this fascinating disc contain no fewer than 320 variations, which are crowned—as are the Ciaccona and the two Passamezzi—with dashing dances, correnti and gagliarde, pointing towards the later development of the Baroque suite. These fine 17th-century pieces in which Frescobaldi’s powerful influence is evident, are played on a modern copy of a beautiful 1697 Italian harpsichord whose clear, rich sound is ideal for this music.

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