With this volume 4 in a complete recording of Bach’s keyboard works whose ingenuity has been underlined by every reviewer (e.g. Gramophone, July 2020), Benjamin Alard continues to explore the Weimar period, known as that of his ‘early mastery’. After À la française, we turn to Italy, where the Vivaldian concerto reigned in Venice. The young Bach created here a wonderful space of freedom between the transcriber and the improviser. For ‘if transcription is a matter of freedom, it is also a matter of powerful imagination: each piece on this recording transports us into a Venetian universe that fascinated Bach as much as it inspired him’, as Benjamin Alard demonstrates on three exceptional instruments.

Arguably Pachelbel's masterpiece, "Apollo's Lyre" is a series of six arias, each of which consists of a set of highly contrasted variations on the initial theme. As a composer, Pachelbel was perhaps most interested in the variation principal, in direct contrast to his great successor, Bach, who used the form only rarely (but then typically wrote the greatest variation work ever–the "Goldberg Variations"). The musical argument is easy to follow, and the tunes themselves simple and memorable. John Butt frames the work with two mighty chaconnes. A chaconne is basically the same thing as a passacaglia, namely a series of variations over a constantly repeating bass line. Try this disc. You're in for a pleasant surprise.

Having already attracted attention for his exceptional gifts, Bach entered the service of the Weimar court at the age of twenty-three. This was the start of the period known as his ‘early maturity’, in which his formal and expressive experiments reflect a significant interest in French music and ‘la belle danse’. The close intertwining of French and German styles is the dominant feature of this third volume in Benjamin Alard’s recording of the complete organ and harpsichord works.

Aujourd’hui Jehan Titelouze fait plus ou moins figure d’australopithèque. Mais il est tout de même le fondateur de la tradition de l’orgue français. Il y a près de 400 ans, un éditeur parisien a publié cette collection de 39 pièces, premier recueil français d’œuvres pour clavier d’un seul et même compositeur. Titelouze explore 12 des plus populaires hymnes de son temps. Dans ces « fugues et ricercars » il développera le langage polyphonique du XVIe siècle en utilisant des dissonances, des accords de septième et le chromatisme laissant ainsi entrevoir les nouveaux chemins que la musique allait prendre.

"Acid Jazz Vol. 1" is a vibrant compilation capturing the essence of early 90s acid jazz, seamlessly blending jazz, soul, and funk influences. Featuring standout tracks from pioneering artists, the album delivers infectious grooves, rich horn sections, and soulful vocals that evoke both dance floor energy and deep listening pleasure. Funk Inc sets the tone with "The Better Half," while Houston Person’s "The Houston Express" drives the jazz-funk momentum. Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones and Leon Spencer bring soulful guitar and keyboard melodies, complemented by Gene Ammons’ powerhouse saxophone performances. This collection highlights the genre's versatility, bridging traditional jazz techniques with contemporary funk rhythms, making it essential for aficionados and newcomers alike.

Bach’s youth was a vast field of observation. From the years of apprenticeship in Ohrdruf, where his precocious artistic sensibility was dazzlingly demonstrated, to his first major post as organist at Arnstadt, Bach constantly enriched his musical culture, underpinned by a strong family tradition and driven by iconic respect for the old masters, crucial affinities and unfailing curiosity. As the prelude to a complete recording of a new kind, the eloquence and vigilant intelligence of the admirable Benjamin Alard’s playing are the ideal medium to reveal the technical mastery of Bach’s early keyboard works and convey the essence of this young composer’s musical discourse at a time when he was already measuring himself against the yardstick of predecessors and contemporaries alike.

On a toujours tendance à sous-estimer l'importance de Nicolas Lebègue dans la formation du style de la musique francaise pour clavier. Cet homme qui venant de Laon débarqua à Paris à l'âge de 25 ans a non seulement standardisé la suite pour clavecin à la francaise, mais il a aussi codifié le style d'orgue francais classique par ce premier livre d'orgue publié 10 ans après son arrivée à Paris.