Müthel: The Five Keyboard Concertos

Marcin Świątkiewicz hpscd, Arte dei Suonatori
127:10 (2 CDs)
BIS-2179 CD

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]was very impressed by the playing of this young Polish harpschordist when he recently accompanied Rachel Podger for the Georgian Concert Society in Edinburgh and these two CDs confirm him as a formidable talent. He plays on a copy by Christian Fuchs of a 1624 Johannes Ruckers harpsichord which works well in this music. Müthel was a German organist and chamber musician who as a young man visited J.S. Bach in the last year of the latter’s life, on an educational tour which also saw him visit Telemann and C.P.E. Bach. He moved to Riga where he spent most of his life, earning praise from Herder. His concertos provide some fascinating and very attractive music with a considerable part for the keyboard and lots of dialogue between soloist and ensemble. The ensemble playing by the Polish Arte dei Suonatori ensemble is stylistic and supportive, leading to some exhilarating performances. The recording balance is eccellent, allowing the listener to hear every detail of the harpsichord playing. These concertos deserve to be much better known.
Noel O’Regan

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