The Dutch harpsichordist Bob van Asperen, following in the steps of Gustav Leonhardt, his one-time teacher, takes the listener on a European grand tour on his new recital disc: London (Bull and Purcell), Amsterdam (Sweelinck), Paris (Louis Couperin and Duphly), Venice (Bernardo Storace), Salzburg (Georg Muffat) and Weimar (Bach). It is a virtuoso performance and an entertaining programme, though I like rather less the sound of the 1962 Skowroneck harpsichord, the same instrument I suspect on which Leonhardt recorded Book 2 of Bach's 48 in 1968 (Harmonia Mundi, 6/78). It is bright but a shade too harsh for all of this repertory and matters are not helped by an almost aggressively close balance.
Van Asperen starts off with a dazzling performance of Bach's Toccata in D major knocking almost half a minute off his earlier recording of the same work for EMI ((CD) CDC7 54081-2, 5/91). This is the most substantial piece in the programme and the one which most consistently reflects van Asperen's accomplishments as a performer: secure technique, fastidious attention to detail, fine rhythmic sense and a feeling for gesture. Clear articulation in addition to these qualities greatly enlivens the several variation sets included here, from among which I would single out the Storace Passacaglia in A minor for its bold harmonies and its colourful invention. But van Asperen can be reflective too, as he demonstrates in the affecting B minor Sonata by Scarlatti, whose spirit and initial melodic ideas are close to Rameau's La villageoise. Van Asperen captures its melancholy character with the same conviction as he shows towards Purcell's darkly-coloured D minor Ground adapted from the song Crown the altar, and the beautiful Prelude by Louis Couperin in the same key.
In short, there is probably something in this varied programme to accommodate almost every taste. The playing throughout is, as I say, accomplished and full of vitality. Only the sound of the instrument fails to please, but that is a matter of personal taste. Lucid and informative notes by LS guide the listener unerringly from one country to another. Don't forget to tip him handsomely at the last staging post!'