SOUNDTRACK: MAHAN ESFAHANI-Tiny Desk Concert #970 (April 27, 2020).
I love the sound of the harpsichord but always assumed that one played the harpsichord in addition to the piano, like for extra flavor. That may be true, but Mahan Esfahani is not only “the instrument’s most ardent advocate,” he is also hilariously cocky about it.
For this Tiny Desk,
Esfahani, who grew up near Washington, D.C., but is now based in Prague, chose a double manual harpsichord — meaning two keyboards. This one was built by specialists Barbara and Thomas Wolf in 1991, but is based on a famous French instrument from 1770.
The harpsichord is a beautiful but notoriously fussy instrument. After we wheeled one behind Bob Boilen’s desk, it took the bulk of an hour to get the tuning just perfect for the very first Tiny Desk harpsichord recital. Given that our guest was Mahan Esfahani we were willing to wait.
His set began with classics: a pair of sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, which share the same key but couldn’t be more opposite in personality. With elaborate curlicue ornaments in both hands, the opening sonata “Sonata in D, K. 534,” presents a sober, regal outlook. Its partner “Sonata in D, K. 535” is a flamboyant rocker, with the hands chasing each other across the two keyboards like a cat and mouse.
Before the next song Esfahani makes some wonderfully funny comments about the superiority of harpsichord players.
He says people thing harpsichordists take piano pieces and transcribe them for the harpsichord. No, pianists take enough of our music; we’re a much classier bunch than them. We have our own music.
He also tells us that there are many modern composers making harpsichord music.
But he also tells us that there modern composers making harpsichord music. Composers are the best people as we all know. It goes composers then harpsichordists, I think, then everyone else.
Mel Powell was a jazz pianist who worked with Benny Goodman. he then became a composer of “proper music” (as it was called in the 1950s). he studied with Hindemith but unlike Hindemith, he’s not boring.
Angular and slightly jazzy “Recitative and Toccata Percossa,” from 1951, is a tour de force in this artist’s hands. It drives home a point he likes to make — that while the harpsichord had its heyday in the 18th century, it’s still a vibrant instrument and very much alive. “There are over 50 modern concertos for the harpsichord,” he told the audience.
He closes with a lesser known piece by a famous composer. After giving the proper pronunciation of Pachelbel, he tells that Pachelbel was good enough to teach Bach’s brothers.
Esfahani closed with a little-known chaconne by Johann Pachelbel. Its steady bassline and colorful variations were a pleasant reminder of the composer’s one-hit claim to fame, “Pachelbel’s Canon.”
I’ve never seen a harpsichord that looked like this before. It sounded great. I love that there are muted passages in the Pachebel piece–I’ve nevee heard a muted harpsichord before. This was another great Tiny Desk.
[READ: May 3, 2020] “What to Watch During the Lockdown: Month 38”
I used to really look forward to Nick Hornby’s (mostly) monthly columns in The Believer. I’m not really sure what he’s been up to since, but it’s great to see a new column from him.
This one features his delightfully obscure references to entertainment and football.
My wife and I are apparently the only people who will come out of this quarantine with even more shows to watch than we started with. We have so much to do during the day–house fixing, yard prepping, reading–that we barely watch an hour of TV a night. And there’s about 35 shows that I would like to binge.
So, I appreciate this essay intellectually, but not on a practical level (even if it is hilariously absurd). (more…)
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