With two new recordings this year, the lautenwerk — an obscure, gut-stringed, mellow keyboard instrument sometimes called a “lute-harpsichord” — is having its moment. J.S. Bach owned two of them. Wolfgang Rübsam’s latest recording, of Bach’s didactic Inventions and Sinfonias, is a natural fit for the lautenwerk.
A Lautenwerk Revival Takes Shape Read More »
A fascinating new book aims to understand the “inventive” musical forgery: not a counterfeit, per se, but a newly created composition that is falsely attributed to someone else. The author investigates not only why forgers may be attracted to such deceptions but, as authentication has shifted from stylistic concerns to source documentation, why we are repulsed when the truth is revealed.
Changing Attitudes About Musical Counterfeits Read More »
Berkeley-born harpsichordist Lillian Gordis’ powerful new Bach recording dwells on sixes: the Partita No. 6 and English Suite No. 6, separated by six preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier. With a unique voice and confrontational attitude, Gordis is a master of this repertoire.
A Six-Pack of Bach from Lillian Gordis Read More »
An imaginative new album is devoted to music by Heinrich von Meissen, a minstrel poet from Saxony, known as Frauenlob for his praise of the Virgin Mary. Harpist and soprano Anna O’Connell and friends offer his spiritual, often mystical works alongside religious music from other German sources including Hildegard and Oswald von Wolkenstein.
Frauenlob and Medieval Marian Song Read More »
A beautifully illustrated 2026 Arthurian video game, ‘Legends of the Round Table,’ with narration from Boston Camerata’s Anne Azéma, sets a new high standard. The period instruments and repertoire supports the plot and visuals for an absorbing game experience.
A Game of Arthurian Legends and Period Instruments Read More »
