This CD devoted to composer Georg Böhm (1661-1733), known above all for his organ works, truly is a nice surprise and an important release.
The recording presents us with a generous program of harpsichord pieces, most notably the Suites. Speaking of these, John O’Donnell says “the authorship of a couple of them is open to debate, while a second Suite in F minor is by John Mattheson, being part of a larger suite that concludes his Pièces de Clavecin published in London in 1774.” We also have here the grand Overture in D major as well as a relatively celebrated Menuet in G major.
John O’Donnell, playing on a William Bright instrument made in 1995, pleases with a technique of rare depth in an exemplary musical program. For its part, the sound is just as important, highlighting the tonal richness of the harpsichord in a suitable acoustic.
Here indeed is one of the finest discs for the start of summer 2013.