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Reviewer:
Lindsay Kemp
Robert Woolley’s slow-burn Sweelinck series reaches Vol 3, following the releases of Vol 1 (devoted to organ music – 10/03) and Vol 2 (consisting, like this one, of music for harpsichord – 6/09). The future of the survey appears uncertain, however, when you see that this latest volume was recorded as long ago as 2008 and is available for download only, with CD release slated (according to the Chandos website) for 2020.
But if urgency is not the word here, I don’t think it is Woolley’s playing that is at fault. As before, his judicious tempi, firm control of momentum and elegant tone – his two instruments are copies of a 1644 Ruckers harpsichord and a surprisingly feisty late-16th-century Grouwels virginals – make him an utterly reliable guide to this solidly gifted and often affectingly lyrical composer. I can see, though, that this release might be better sipped at from well-chosen tracks than drunk down whole. Where Vol 2 boasted some of Sweelinck’s best and most attractive compositions (including the variation sets Unter der Linden grune and Mein junges Leben hat ein Endt, the imposing Fantasia crommatica and takes on Philips’s Pavana dolorosa and Dowland’s Lachrymae), here we have tougher fare, including a few toccatas and fantasias (such as the obsessive Fantasia auf die Manier eines Echo) that seem more worthy than beguiling, or, like the 11‑minute Fantasia d2, would possibly sound better on the organ. The most rewarding pieces are the Pavana hispanica, the melancholy Ick voer al over Rhijn and maybe the Fantasia re re re sol ut mi fa sol, with its John Bull-like left-hand gymnastics.
So perhaps Chandos is right – this is primarily one for completists. Vol 2 will serve you better if you want a single disc of Sweelinck to enjoy, or alternatively there is Sébastien Wonner’s well-played and more listener-friendly selection (K617, 7/15). |
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