SEEKING INSIGHT

An early Kipnis recording -
with ANN BOND

I spent a little time in a second-hand market today. It was sad to see so many forlorn objects that used to be familiar in 60's households; too young to qualify as antiques, yet too far out of date to count as either useful or beautiful.

No direct analogy to Kipnis' recording is intended; yet it is hard to understand why this recording, dating from an unfavourable era of the harpsichord's history, should be chosen for resurrection when so many good present-day instruments are around. To those who were not around, or aware, in the 60's, it should be explained that these were the 'false dawn' years of the harpsichord revival, when harpsichord builders did not copy actual historic instruments because they had yet to discover sufficient humility to admit that the old chaps knew best. On this disc Kipnis is hampered by a typical -- though anonymous -- 60's instrument that purrs like a sumptuous Rolls-Royce leopard but lacks any real teeth. (Perhaps to compensate for this, he indulges in rather precious articulation). [Listen -- track 1, 0:00-0:47.]

Continue >>

To listen to the aural illustrations in this review, you may need to download RealNetworks' realplayer G2.