Keyboard players have always regretted that so little of Purcell’s music for them has survived: it consists mainly of eight very small suites of pieces put together after his death by his widow, plus a few dance movements and suchlike. Terence Charlston puts up a spirited defence of the suites for their absorption of Italian and French influences (hence the written-out notes inegales) into a recognizably English style, their diversity of texture and their melodic invention; but the late Professor Westrup’s claim that they are worthy predecessors of Bach’s suites takes no account of the difference of scale involved. The quality of some individual movements stands out, however – for example the Almands of Nos. 2 and 8, the Corant and Hornpipe of No. 7. Quite recently we had two very pleasurable recordings of the suites, from Sophie Yates and Olivier Baumont. Charlston steers, as it were, a middle course between the freshness but sobriety of the one and the fantasy and boldness of the other. He shows fine clarity of finger and of ornamentation and plenty of spirit, but obviously believes in maintaining strict tempos throughout – perhaps excessively so in the New Ground (one of the extras he includes), in view of its vocal origin. Also included are transcriptions (not all definitely by Purcell himself) of half a dozen theatre pieces – some of which have not been previously recorded. Among the most attractive are an Overture in gamut flat from the The Virtuous Wife and an Overture in C, ending in gloriously bold chromaticisms, from Bonduca. He plays the alternative Preludes to the second and fourth suites (in addition to the usual ones) but not the A minor Jig played by Baumont, as the manuscript of this was not available three-and-a-half years ago when the present disc was made.'