Jukka Tiensuu – The Exuberant Harpsichord (1989)

A second compilation of modern and baroque pieces for harpsichord performed by Tiensuu, among which Ligeti’s celebrated “Hungarian Rock”. As for this particular composition, I think I told you in the past that I’d taken it from some obsolete p2p network in a very meagre sound quality. Not exactly knowing what I heard – I’d certainly heard nothing like it before, and wasn’t familiar with Ligeti – I wrongly supposed it was from some unknown Hungarian band or other.
I found “them” devilishly good, yes I did. It was only a couple of years later that I discovered its true maker.

More interesting compositions on this album. Especially the finale of the last track, Mache’s “Korwar”, will leave you breathless as of minute 60. It’s as if you’re witnessing an entire city of glass collapse…it’s a massive short-circuit getting almost visual, really. Impossible that this should be a one-track recording, nobody can produce a torrential cascade of sounds like that with his two hands only. Unfortunately, I could not find any information on this composition in the booklet; some half-wit who borrowed this from the library tore out eight pages.
Nothing wrong with the cd itself though. Again, the sound quality of this recording is amazing.

Tracks:

01. Gyorgy Ligeti: Hungarian rock [0:04:57.25]
02. Thomas Morley: Pavana [0:04:31.12]
03. Thomas Morley: Galiarda [0:02:11.63]
04. Gyorgy Ligeti: Passacaglia ungherese [0:04:58.00]
05. Gyorgy Ligeti: Continuum [0:03:43.00]
06. Jean-Philippe Rameau: L'Enharmonique [0:04:31.00]
07. Erik Bergman: Energien [0:04:17.00]
08. Anneli Arho: Minos' [0:08:38.00]
09. Esa-Pekka Salonen: YTA IIb [0:05:28.00]
10. Usko Merilainen: Zimbal [0:07:27.00]
11. Francois-Bernard Mache: Korwar [0:14:50.25]

Performers:

Jukka Tiensuu – harpsichord