Frescobaldi and the South Works by Frescobaldi, Francesco Lambardo, Macque, R Rodio, Luigi & M Rossi, G Salvatore, S Stella, B Storace Francesco Corti (harpsichord) Arcana A547 84:38 mins
Francesco Corti captures both Frescobaldi’s eccentric, improvisatory spirit on the one hand, and his rigorous precision and attention to detail on the other. Toccata Nona is a fine example, with its fluctuating tempos and kaleidoscopic changes from prayerful chordal writing to capricious flourishes and ornate figurations. Similar Frescobaldian oppositions characterise Macque’s Capriccio sopra re, fa, mi, sol: here, strange and expressive chromatic wanderings and extemporary passages offset measured and rational contrapuntal sections.
Other highlights are Frescobaldi’s monumental Cento Partite sopra Passacagli, a tour de force of mercurial variations over a popular ground bass, and the Capriccio sopra la Battagli, an early example of programme music whose strident rhythms and percussive arpeggiations (despatched with terrific bravura) conjure up the sounds of military bands and battle effects. In contrast, Macque’s Consonanze stravaganti is a ruminative interior monologue which Corti imbues with an air of wistful serenity. The programme features two harpsichords by Philippe Humeau whose variegated colours and timbres range from dark and burnished to bright and silvery.
Kate Bolton-Porciatti