• Tracks

Apart from Manuel de Falla's Harpsichord Concerto, Francis Poulenc's Concert champêtre, and Martinu's concerto, which all dating from the 1920s and 30s, the next 100 years saw little interest in the instrument that had dominated the baroque age. This album features three new concertos, two of which (Bryars and Carpenter) where commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. Composed between 2018 and 2023 these concertos represent three very different answers to the question of what an early 21st century harpsichord concerto might be. Shaw's concerto nods to the baroque model, Carpenter looks back to the early decades of the 20th century, de Falla's concerto is of similar proportions in terms of the accompanying ensemble, though this is not a tribute to the Spaniard's concerto - the inspiration being the artist Piet Mondrian. Bryars' concerto also takes the baroque concerto model, however an early 20th century figure - Ferruccio Busoni hovers over the proceedings. Busoni owned a harpsichord made by Chickering & Sons made under the supervision of Arnold Dolmetsch, and this provides Bryars' concerto with it's enigmatic title. It was composed for the unique talent of Mahan Esfahani.