Francesco Fornasaro - Jones - 6 Harpsichord Suites (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

New recordings of six superb Baroque suites by a London contemporary of Handel, graced a vision and ingenuity out of all proportion to his fame.

The music scene in London during the first half of the 18th century was entirely dominated by the presence of Handel, which was so overwhelming that it obscured most of the excellent musicians of the period. We know very little about Richard Jones, and nothing certain until he joined the Drury Lane orchestra as a violinist in the late 1720s, becoming its first violin and leader towards 1730. Very little of his music has survived beyond these suites: a cantata, and two sets of violin-centred chamber suites.

The six suites rival the keyboard music of Handel and Purcell for their variety and inventiveness. Jones does not follow the traditional order for suites of dances: The first set includes two toccatas, the second two gigues, the fifth two sarabandes, with a corrente placed at the end of the group, while the sixth features no fewer than three minuets, the last of which closes the series. The suites are also rich in harmony, with some bold inventions and plenty of vigorous rhythm that can be quite challenging from the technical point of view.

Apart from the more deliberately English character of the sixth and last suite with its prominent traces of British folk music, the collection reveals considerable Italian influence, whereas there is very little of the nascent galant style. Yet Richard Jones clearly had the intellectual freedom, eccentricity and independence to invest his music with an incredible variety of influences and references, ranging from the pathos and impetuous wildness of Vivaldi to the depth of Bach, the seductive grace of the French school, a touch of Handel’s majestic solemnity, the melodious freshness of Purcell and the dramatic, sensual impact of opera.

TRACKLIST

1. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: I. Prelude
2. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: II. Vivace
3. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: III. Tocatt
4. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: IV. Sarabanda
5. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: V. Gavot
6. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: VI. Minuet
7. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: VII. Toccatta
8. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 1 in D Minor - First Set: VIII. Giga
9. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set: I. Prelude
10. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set II. Paspie
11. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set III. Allemanda
12. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set IV. Minuet
13. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set V. Giga
14. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set VI. Sarabanda
15. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 2 in A Major - Second Set VII. Giga
16. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: I. Prelude (Allegro - Largo - Allegro - Largo)
17. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: II. Sarabanda
18. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: III. Allegro
19. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: IV. Minuet
20. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: V. Boree
21. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: VI. Largo
22. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 3 in B-Flat - Third Set: VII. Giga
23. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 4 in A Minor - Fourth Set: I. Largo
24. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 4 in A Minor - Fourth Set: II. Allemanda
25. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 4 in A Minor - Fourth Set: III. Sarabanda
26. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 4 in A Minor - Fourth Set: IV. Minuet
27. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 4 in A Minor - Fourth Set: V. Boree
28. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 4 in A Minor - Fourth Set: VI. Giga
29. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: I. Prelude (Largo e Staccato)
30. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: II. Allemanda (Vivace)
31. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: III. Corrente
32. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: IV. Sarabanda
33. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: V. Vivace
34. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: VI. Sarabanda
35. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: VII. Boree
36. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 5 in B Minor - Fifth Set: VIII. Giga
37. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: I. Allemende
38. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: II. Sarabanda
39. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: III. Brisk Air
40. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: IV. Minuet
41. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: V. March
42. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: VI. Scotch Air
43. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: VII. Hornpipe
44. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: VIII. Corente
45. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: IX. Minuet
46. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: X. Gavote
47. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: XI. Slow Air
48. Francesco Fornasaro - Suite No. 6 in Various Keys - Sixth Set: XII. Minuet



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