Look - no hype!

So what does it take to re-ignite the passion of a 75 year old classical nut whose cynicism has been fuelled over the years by the vacuous hype and talent-light celebrities of today's classical world?

Over the years harpsichord maestro Scott Ross has featured On An Overgrown Path many times. Back in 2005 I wrote in praise of his ground-breaking recording of the complete Scarlatti keyboard sonatas, my post Master musician who experienced the pain of genius  is still frequently read four years after it was written, and that post was inspired by my 2013 pilgrimage to Scott's house in Assas, France. There has even been a post featuring a possible member of the great Assas music lineage, a black and white cat. The ancestry of that cat may be debatable, but another part of the Assas lineage is indisputable, and it is this which has re-ignited my passion.

French harpsichordist Jean Rondeau's CD Vertigo - Rameau & Royer was recorded in the Château d'Assas where Scott Ross recorded some of his revelatory Scarlatti Sonatas. All Jean Rondeau's discs have given me immense pleasure, with their combination of technical mastery and innovative programming. For instance his most recent release Gradus ad Parnassum programmes Palestrina, Fux, Haydn, Clementi, Beethoven, Debussy & Mozart.  

Jean Rondeau is signed exclusively to Erato, the label that Scott Ross recorded for. Erato is a Warner Classics label, and credit should go to my colleague at EMI Pathé many years ago Alain Lanceron who is Executive Producer for these recordings as well as President of Warner Classics, France. Alain is also responsible for some other recent releases that have brought that rare spirit of delight, Elisabeth Leonskaja's Mozart Piano Sonata cycle, and her unjustly overlooked disc of Berg, Schoenberg, and Webern Piano works.  Above all it is the keyboard genius of Jean Rondeau and Elisabeth Leonskaja that re-ignited my passion. But it also very refreshing to find two great musicians and a record label putting the music before the hype. 

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