Mahan Esfahani: Byrd, Bach, Ligeti (Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, May 2013)
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BYRD / BACH / LIGETI
Mahan Esfahani: Byrd, Bach, Ligeti (Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, May 2013)
Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)
[ Wigmore Hall Live / CD ]
Release Date: Monday 10 March 2014
This item is currently out of stock. We expect to be able to supply it to you within 2 - 4 weeks from when you place your order.
Hailed by Opera Today as 'the leading harpsichordist of his generation', Mahan Esfahani attracted worldwide attention in 2010 when he gave the first ever harpsichord recital at the BBC Proms. He was the first harpsichordist to be named a BBC New Generation Artist and to be awarded a fellowship by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. Dedicated to taking his instrument beyond the realm of Early music, the critically acclaimed Iranian-American harpsichordist works with repertoire that spans four centuries.
For this recital he turned his mind to Byrd's keyboard miniatures, exploring the works' vibrant ingenuity in company with the rich masterworks of Bach and the irresistible and fascinating compositions of Ligeti.
"perhaps most striking are the dazzling realisations of three harpsichord pieces by Gyorgy Ligeti. These eclectic soundscapes are splashed with the exotic colours of Hungarian folk music and the acidulous tuning of mean-tone temperament...Esfahani communicates all this and more, with giddying technique and a perceptive understanding of Ligeti's mongrel idiom." (BBC Music Magazine, August 2014)
"flexible, articulate and deeply musical interpretations...Also note how Esfahani points up the quirky cross-rhythmic interplay and tart accidentals in Byrd's Fantasia in A minor...The full bodied engineering conveys both instrumental and venue in a natural and attractive ambient blend." (Gramophone, June 2014)
"he is a simply superb player. His technique is beyond criticism and his inherent musicianship goes far deeper than mere surface understanding...when one hears his performances of these Byrd pieces, so essentially re-creative in the best sense, with each note and phrase fully part of the piece itself - one can only applaud this young man's artistry." (International Record Review, May 2014)
Tracks:
Bach, J S:
Musical Offering, BWV1079: Ricercar a 3
Musical Offering, BWV1079: Ricercar a 6
Musical Offering, BWV1079: Canon perpetuus super thema Regium
Byrd:
Clarifica me, Pater (3 verses)
Ligeti:
Passacaglia ungherese für Cembalo
Continuum für Cembalo
Hungarian Rock (Chaconne) für Cembalo
