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Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562 - 1621)

Music for Harpsichord

Label: Naxos, 8.570894
Year: 2009

Performer:

Glen Wilson - harpsichord

Tracklist:

01. Fantasia (Praeludium) in F Ionian mode, SwWV 265
02. Est-ce Mars, SwWV 321
03. Fantasia chromatica in Dorian mode, SwWV 258
04. Pavana Philippi, SwWV 329
05. Mein junges Leben hat ein End, SwWV 324
06. Toccata in Dorian mode, SwWV 286
07. Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Ehr, SwWV 299
08. Echo fantasia in Ionian mode, SwWV 253
09. Engelse fortuin, SwWV 320, "Von der Fortuna werd ich getrieben" (Fortune My Foe)
10. Passamezzo moderno, SwWV 326
11. Pavana Lachrymae, SwWV 328
12. Martin Luther - Nun komm der Heiden Heiland
13. Anonymous - Fantasia primi toni a 4

Total Playing Time: 01:17:26

Young hopeful students travelled from all over Europe to study in Amsterdam with the master of the keyboard, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, though how he gained his mastery of composition remains a mystery. He had certainly been taught the organ by his father, but he had died when Jan was quite young, so it is unlikely he was the source. Among an abundance of works, it is a large collection of keyboard pieces for which he is best known today. Many could be played on harpsichord or organ, and range from fugal fantasias through to extended sets of variations, Sweelinck perfecting this latter art. With manuscript music in the 16th century not in widespread circulation, and as he seldom travelled outside of Amsterdam, how he became aware of the latest styles from around Europe, particularly from English virginalists, is unclear. Eleven of those works have been selected for this release by the American-born Glen Wilson. Initial studies at New York’s Juilliard School led to a long period in Holland as a student of the famous harpsichordist, Gustav Leonhardt, subsequently making his home in Europe, from where he has a busy international diary. I find him ideal for Sweelinck, his performances unfussy, his articulation revelatory clean, and his approach devoid of personal affectations. As a taster try the Variations on ‘Allein Gott is der Hoh sei Ehr’, a powerful creation which Wilson plays with the required weight (Track 7). Or sample the whimsical delight’s of the Echo Fantasia with Wilson bringing as much light and shade as is possible on the instrument (track 8). The disc ends with two pieces that are not by Sweelinck, but are associated with his artistic circle. Wilson plays a copy of a Johannes Ruckers harpsichord by Henk van Schevikhoven, just a shady less ‘woody’ in tone than some of the originals, but still extremely pleasing to the ear. Outstanding engineering.

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