Froberger: Lamento sopra la dolorosa perdita della Real Maestà di Ferdinando IV Rè de Romani

Whether the composer luxuriates in melancholic disorder or attempts to remedy it, there is but a fine line here between the vanity of the world and the artist’s glory. In his readings of Froberger, Fischer and Clérambault, Andreas Staier distils the fruits of this sophisticated blend on an instrument saved from oblivion at the start of the 21st century.

"‘Why have all eminent men, whether philosophers, statesmen, poets or artists, so obviously been melancholics?’ This question forms the opening of a treatise attributed to Aristotle. The doctrine of the four temperaments (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic) associates the melancholic with the most varied phenomena: the planet Saturn, the autumn (also in the sense of the autumn of life), twilight, cold, avarice, but also genius, geometry, and brooding profundity of thought. Albrecht Dürer condenses this multiplicity of motifs with extreme concentration in his celebrated and enigmatic engraving Melencolia I of 1514. ...I would like to thank Laurent Soumagnac for placing his wonderful harpsichord at my disposal for this disc, and Markus Fischinger for maintaining the instrument during the recording sessions. My very special gratitude goes to my friend and colleague Skip Sempé. He took the time for many inspiring conversations about French music of the seventeenth century." Andreas Staier

La Stravaganza is a young baroque ensemble that was created around two musicians Gilon Domitille and Thomas Soltani. It brings together young musicians from one of the largest repositories of Europe (Conservatoire supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon, Conservatoire supérieur d'Amsterdam, Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris).

The ensemble was interested in the Habsburg court, where with the advent of Ferdinand III, music boomed, lifting hearts and bringing musicians and composers from all over Europe. This album brings back the jewels of this time, combining works by Schmelzer, Biber, Walther and Froberger.

St Cecilia’s Hall is the oldest purpose-built concert hall in Scotland, dating from 1763. In 1968 it became home to the Raymond Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments. This already world famous collection was further enhanced in 2005 when the University of Edinburgh received the extraordinary gift of 22 historic keyboard instruments from Rodger and Lynne Mirrey; the galleries at St Cecilia’s Hall now house one of the two most comprehensive collections of early keyboard instruments in the world.

“As a champion of the instruments in the Raymond Russell Collection in Edinburgh, John Kitchen’s previous recordings have drawn universal praise. This latest addition to his discography is destined, I am sure, to enhance his formidable reputation.” Early Music Review, August 2009