Frescobaldi; Keyboard Works, Vols 1, 2 & 3
Three volumes of Frescobaldi’s keyboard works recorded by Nimbus Records and played by Richard Lester mostly on the 1619 Boni harpsichord and instruments at Fenton House. The fourth and final volume will be released in the Spring of 2013.
“This playing has an eloquence, vitality and freshness…. The Toccatas are rooted in improvisation and it is that extemporaneous character which Lester most potently evokes in his marvellously free-flowing and coherently paced performances… This is clearly going to be a series of great musical value as well as of highly enjoyable music-making from an authoritative and compelling advocate of this music.”
Marc Rochester International Record Review
“The Toccatas make for an expressive contrast and perhaps include the finest music of all. Performance of Frescobaldi demands a free, improvisatory style of performance, of which Richard Lester is obviously a master. He plays a perfectly chosen harpsichord with a particularly attractive, warm sonority with the sound perfectly focused in an ideal acoustic.” Penguin Guide to the Finest 1000 Classical Recordings 2011