Soler Fandango

[@annmarch3295]

I am proud to say I am the artist who painted the scene on the underside of the lid of Richard Lester's harpsichord.

[@armaganemrecakr6855]

In my humble opinion, this is one of the best interpretations of this iconic composition. Instead of flaunting on a two-manual harpsichord, and showcasing his speed mechanically, Maestro Fenton gives every sentence its due with subtle personal additions. Serene but not sedate... Wonderful phrasing... He is also able to create the illusion of "piano"s and "forte"s, which is difficult -if not impossible on a harpsichord.

[@dapje2002]

I think you should listen to Jean Rondeau's live performance from 2014...

[@LOCMikeSF]

Every once in a while I run across something on KZbin I never knew existed. This is so much fun! I must say it rocks! for lack of appropriate vocabulary.

Absolutely exquisite, very well defined sections and a superb performance. Bravo maestro!

[@natnatus49]

Très belle interprétation, claire et structurée, sur un excellent clavecin. L'enregistrement est agréable. Bravo!

[@Amittai_Aviram]

I agree totally! The clarity and precision of this performance are wonderful!

[@cordeliav3055]

Magnificent performance. From memory, which I find amazing.

[@gilgermesch]

The video does in many places not correspond to the audio, and there are numerous changes between an upper and lower keyboard that don't seem to exist in the video... which leads me to believe there was a lot of cutting and slicing involved. Which puts in to question the playing from memory part. Which personally I don't mind, I don't care if there was a score on the music stand or not. It's the deception that bothers me...

[@HaritheRenaissanceMan]

@@gilgermesch It's funny you mentioned the discrepancy between video and audio. The biggest tip off for me that something was off (and which you correctly pointed out) was when I heard change in timbre (e.g. a switch between manuals and regular plectra vs. a buff stop), whereas the video clearly shows a single manual harpsichord where such timbral changes are impossible unless an anachronistic pedal or knee lever mechanism was employed (obviously not the case with the instrument depicted). I love what I'm hearing, but it doesn't belong to the video, so now I'm really confused.

[@Zonno5]

The left hand part isn't as hard to remember

[@wcw3086]

Bravo!

[@hegedusuk]

Wow. This is just exquisite

[@STEVEVILLAMASSONE]

Je respecte énormément les musiciens qui obéissent parfaitement à la partition avec amour, Bravo à vous !!!

[@stephendoe8579]

😢😮😢😢😢😮😢3

[@nicoangel3452]

Thank you for guiding me correctly to this artist's correct name. Richard Lester indeed. "Ole RICARDO ...Viva!!"

[@nicoangel3452]

Mr. Fenton's magnificent performance of Soler's Gran Fandango would, indeed, be welcomed in the Imperial Courts of Spain. His feel and understanding of the Spanish Idiom is apparent in every passage in this fabulous composition. The Baroque dancers of Spain would cherish his every movement expressing their art as only the Spanish can with lyricism and grace. As a Classical and Flamenco guitarist, I, myself, can feel Fenton's soul as he accompanies a dancer as she creates an aura of beauty. Viva Maestro Fenton....Hijo de Espana !

[@PhilipBuckmaster]

+Nico AngelIt's Richard Lester playing, not Fenton - he's just the one who put the video up!!!

[@andrewmarshall3348]

Mr. Angel's mellifluous tongue would have been welcome in the most lofty of late baroque high courts. Such audiences would have been swept away by the punctilious poetry and probably not noticed he was praising the wrong man, for they had no means to google in the 18th century: www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Richard+Lester+harpsichord&oq=Richard+Lester+harpsichord&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i24k1.9734.12002.0.12249.12.12.0.0.0.0.119.832.10j1.11.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.9.708...0j0i30k1.0.ipmkh1VGih8

[@allysloper1882]

On this occasion you could probably dispense with the services of Professor Google as it tells you who is playing it in the description.

[@shauncaton5479]

Raymond Fenton is an incredible harpsichord player of great virtuosity.

[@robertomartinezalazar4095]

Muy bien Ricardo. Por cierto, excelente el instrumento. Probablemente lo tendría en cuenta si tuviera que comprarme uno.

[@robynsalain]

magnifique et magique

[@BohemianBaroque]

Best on the web

[@rasohatskiy_andriy.]

Great, maestro!!!!

[@1LaOriental]

BRAVO! 👏👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿

[@michaelcole2879]

Dear Mr. Fenton. you are a very excellent harpsichordist Thank you for your fine music.

[@lepetitorchestre2730]

Magnifique ! Rien à redire. Aussi bien que Raphael Puyana. Merci

[@Patafisique]

magnificent performance

[@philipblick8887]

Beautiful

[@SimoneStellaMusic]

These version is stunning and I think it's better than Ross (which is one of the best). I guess if this harpsichord has pedal-stops. I can't see any stop on the top or side of the instrument, and it's impossible to change sound in this way during the performance unless you have an assistant. I'm curious, because the pedal-stops system on harpsichord, even if not so philological, is great to make much more variety in a performance, but normally it is only on old non-historic instruments like Wittmeyer or old Neupert

[@jordanbradford7729]

I think you're right, and I think that there are two pedals, one for each foot. At about 4:30 in the current video there is what looks like a wire hanging down from the instrument, which I think is attached to a pedal that controls the lute stop, because at 50 seconds into this other video ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6WYn36deKmekMk ) you can see a pedal under the instrument in that same general area. In that other video he then positions his right foot further forward and his foot moves down, and the sound of the instrument changes at the same time, and so I think that's the pedal that controls which choirs of strings are playing. I also think that this harpsichord has a jack mechanism that allows for dynamic control based on how much force is used when the keys are pressed.

[@nicoangel690]

Listen to Nicolau de Figuierdo's interpretation......the ending with spactacular rasqueados and a dramatic climax making all shout out....." Ole ! "Viva mi tierra"..."Viva Espana"...as only the people of Andalucia can feel

[@nicoangel690]

"Senor Lester......Su Majestad ...Aprueba"

[@annalisaboi1168]

MAGNIFICO!

[@bunjihisamori]

Beautiful！

[@treblec4me710]

mind-blown !

[@juanjoseacerofernandez1516]

Gastas tic rendering of Soler’s fandango! Maestro Fenton knows well the Spanish soul.

[@jjhhhggfify]

MI PIACE MOLTISSIMO OTTIMA ESECUZIONE

[@Patafisique]

do you know anything about the instrument used?

[@Antonio_Gallego]

"The instrument used for this recording is a copy by Michael Cole of the Autunes harpsichord of 1785, now in the Finchcocks collection in Kent, England. Both Seixas and Soler are likely to have known the work of the Autunes family, though not this model, of course. It is a forward and precisely-focused sound. Though neither shrill nor brittle. The acoustics of the recording (Wisteria Lodge in Gloucestershire, England - the same location as was used for Lester's Scarlatti triumph) are just right, throwing our attention onto the subtleties, structure and intricacies as much as onto the sheer sound of the music" - Source: www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nim05836a.php

[@contactarlo]

@@Antonio_Gallego Antunez harpsichord is sadly not anymore at Finchcocks, as most of the collection was auctioned in 2016. I know that a musical institution in Portugal tried badly to buy it before the auction but since it was included already in the lot, it were not possible to sell it apart. Wonderful performance in a single manual!. I would like to see in the video when he changed the stops.

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

@@Antonio_Gallego What would be interesting to know is : strings are metal or brass or both, how many stops, how many keys , short octave or not , tuning 415 or 440 etc......

[@Antonio_Gallego]

Hi @Nicolas , I couldn't find that information online but both the previous owner (Finchcocks) and the instrument maker (Michael Cole) are still active and have web presence, you may want to ask them directly. Please let us know what you discover. Cheers.

[@julianholman7379]

@@contactarlo so sad - do you know who bought it ?

[@timperkins2841]

Wow.

[@Clark-Gaybeul]

Par moment on peut entendre la sevillana qui doucement arrive.

[@Pony_ezpumi]

oh shí

[@philipbay1548]

Puyana's performance is best

[@dapje2002]

Meh... Jean Rondeau's version is so much better...