For those not in the know, Daniel-Ben Pienaar is garnering an international reputation for his recordings and concert appearances.

The ever-inquisitive pianist Pienaar, who has a particular interest in early music and in the Viennese classics and early Romantics, now presents his latest works, The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music (out February 7th, 2020 via AVIE Records).

The Long 17th Century refers to the period from the late 1500s to the early 1700s, an era noted for forward-thinking individuality and invention in all areas of life.

This two-and-a-half hour recital surveys a pan-European variety of styles, genres and techniques, and comprises 36 works, each by a different composer, many not recorded before on a modern piano.

CD 1:
INTIMATION AND IMITATION
1. Giovanni Picchi (1571/2–1643)
Toccata (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) (3.42)
2. Tarquinio Merula (1595–1665)
Capriccio cromatico (2.42)
3. Francisco Correa De Arauxo (1584–1654)
Tiento de medio registro de tiple de decimo tono (4.35)
4. Matthias Weckmann (c.1616–1674)
Canzon (III) in D minor (2.23)
5. António de Macedo (?–?)
Ricercare a quatro de 4o tom (4.10)
6. Pablo Bruna (1611–1679)
XI. Tiento de falsas de 6o tono (1.15)
7. Giovanni Gabrieli (c.1557–1612)
Canzon quarta a4 (1.40)
8. Louis Couperin (c.1626–1661)
Duo in G minor (1.54)
9. Alfonso Ferrabosco I (1543–1588)
Fantasia with G final (2.59) 10. Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583–1643)
Toccata cromaticha per l’elevatione (from Fiori Musicali) (4.42)

DANCE
11. Giovanni Maria Trabaci (c.1575–1647)
Gagliarda Seconda, Ottava (from Libro Primo) (2.06)
12. Giovanni Maria Radino (d.1607)
Galliarda Seconda (1.08)
13. Peter Philips (c.1561–1628)
Pavan in G (the ‘1580’ Pavan) (3.24)
14. Matthew Locke (c.1621–1677)
Suite III in C: Prelude – Almain – Corant – Saraband – Jig (5.55)
15. William Tisdale (b.c.1570)
Almand (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) (1.22)
16. Melchior Schildt (1592/3–1667)
Paduana lagrima (after Dowland) (4.30)
17. Georg Muffat (1653–1704)
Partita IV in F (short version): Prelude – Rigaudon – Lepescheuses (4.27)
18. Johann Jakob Froberger (1616–1667)
Partita II in A (from Libro Quarto): Allemande – Gigue – Courante – Sarabande (7.55)
19. Jacques C. de Chambonnières (1601/2–1672)
Pavane l’Entretien des Dieux (3.59)
20. Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665–1729)
Rondeau in G minor (from Pièces de clavecin, Livre 2) (1.00)
21. Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656)
A Sad Pavan for These Distracted Times (3.40)
22. John Coprario (c.1570–1626) (set by Farnaby)
A Maske (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) (0.52)
23. Giles Farnaby (c.1563–1640)
The Old Spagnoletta (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) (2.01)
24. Heinrich Scheidemann (c.1595–1663)
Galliarda in D minor (3.22)

Total Time CD 1: 75.50

CD 2
VARIATION
1. Johann Caspar Kerll (1627–1693)
Passacaglia in D (6.12)
2. Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621)
Mein junges Leben hat ein End (5.06)
3. Juan Bautista Cabanilles (1644–1712)
Pasacalles de 1o tono (5.32)
4. William Byrd (1539/40–1623)
Walsingham (6.04)
5. John Bull (1562/3–1628)
Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La (I) (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) (5.18)
6. Dietrich Buxtehude (1637/9–1707)
Variations on ‘La Capricciosa’ (15.49)
7. Michael Praetorius (1571–1621)
Zwei Variationen: Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren (4.33)

DEPICTION AND EVOCATION
8. Johann Kuhnau (1660–1722)
Sonata Quarta ‘Hiskia agonizzante e risanato’: Il lamento di Hiskia per la morte annociatagli e le sue preghieri ardenti – La di lui confidenza in Iddio – L’allegrezza del Rè convalescente (7.39)
9. António Correa Braga (fl. c.1695–d.1704)
Batalha de 6o tom (5.54)
10. Bernardo Pasquini (1637–1710)
Toccata con lo scherzo del cuccó (3.35)
11. Gaspard le Roux (c.1660–1707)
La Favoritte (3.31)
12. Jean–Henri D’anglebert (1629–1691)
Tombeau de Mr. De Chambonnières (5.41)

Total Time CD2: 74.58

Recorded between March 27th-28th and July 9th-10th, 2018, at the Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music, London, mastered by Phil Hobbs, with sound engineer work by Andrew Lang, and mapping and editing by Daniel-Ben Pienaar himself, of course, The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music is, and quite easily, one of the most magnificent works of historical classical that I have heard in a long, long time.

From start to finish, spread over these two luxurious CDs, Pienaar brings for a most gloriously multi-faceted opus of material that bewitches and mesmerizes in equal measures.

Easily one of the most compelling and completely satisfying works of classical performances ever drawn to the world of home entertainment, these fresh, spontaneous, original readings are a breath of fresh air within the genre.

www.danielbenpienaar.com

www.avie-records.com