Back around 1950, about the time this recording was made, the harpsichord was pretty much an oddity in the concert hall. Considered an ancient instrument for specialists, it was going the way of the Latin language, in other words slowly breathing its final breaths on the world stage. If not for a resurgence of interest in Bach and his contemporaries, new music by such luminaries as Manuel de Falla and the superb, dogged advocacy of two remarkable ladies, the harpsichord might have gone the way of the serpent or chalumeaux.
The ladies are, of course, Wanda Landowska and New York born Sylvia Marlowe. Both women, through recordings and concert appearances, deftly illustrated how the harpichord and clavichord were capable of tonal colors, contrasts in dynamics and timbre and, expressive beauty.
This particular issue features music by the three greatest composers for keyboard during the baroque, J S Bach, Couperin and Domenico Scarlatti. I'd like to call special notice to the Scarlatti sonatas. Hardly sonatas in the traditional sense, these are more like quick glimpses into Scarlatti's interior as they display mood and feeling in a way that is not anguished, self centered or protracted. There is contemplation, happiness, brooding, melancholy, all presented in a way that was acceptable for the time and place. These works are also technical gems, requiring an artist of intelligence and skill to execute them in a convincing way. Marlowe is certainly up to the task as is my favorite performer of this genre, the great Dubravka Tomsic, albeit the latter on piano. Listen carefully and you will hear magic from Marlowe's fingers; what a coup this record was for Don Gabor!
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