Frescobaldi: Balletto Terzo - Corrente del Balletto – Passacagli

The young Spanish harpsichordist Aarón Zapico has chosen compositions from Frescobaldi’s two famous books of toccatas for his first solo album for W & W. The selection of pieces ranges from vivacious dance tunes to delicately intimate and calm settings. One of Frescobaldi’s most famous pupils, the German Johann Jakob Froberger (1616-1667), is the other featured composer on the CD, showing the inseparable connectionbetween ‚ 'maestro’ and 'disciple’, yet two creative geniuses on their own. Froberger further developped and accomplished the genre of the keyboard suite, having its beginnings in Frescobaldi’s arrangements. Many of Froberger’s works, often inspired by incidents in his adventurous life, can be considered as early forms of programme music.

The touching Tombeau on the death of his friend Blancheroche closes an album dedicated to two masters whose influence on the following composer generations cannot be estimated highly enough. Aarón Zapico savours as interpreter the sound and technical possibilities on his instrument. Improvisation and variation let the scores become individually alive through the hands of the musician and this rich artistic ‘Phantasia’.

Richard Lester was described both by The Times and the Daily Telegraph as ‘one of our leading players’ and more recently acclaimed as ‘one of the greatest early music keyboard players of this or any other time.’ In 1981, Sir William Glock, former BBC controller of music invited him to perform a solo harpsichord recital at the Bath International Festival. Countless engagements at major international music festivals followed including the Bruges festival, Bath Bach festival and concerts at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and in 2007 a sell out solo recital at London's South Bank Centre.