William Bolcom's Compositions for Solo Harpsichord

Larry Palmer writes in the March 2016 issue of The Diapason on Bolcom's works for solo harpsichord, including Le Fantome du Clavecin and The Vicarage Garden.

"The path to knowledge is oft-times a roundabout one! Preparing to write an essay on harpsichord music of the modern revival period, I decided to solicit lists from this repertoire from colleagues who actually interact with it, either as performers, historians, or musically astute listeners. This exercise has produced, thus far, a basic reaffirmation for the canon of well-known works, occasionally augmented by a complete surprise. Thus is was when Britain’s Jane Clark included among her choices an American solo piece totally unknown to me: William Bolcom’s Le Fantome du Clavecin, composed in 2005… Bolcom’s “Ordre,” comprising nine movements presents a creditable suggestion of what Francois Courperin might sound like had he been born in the late 20th or early 21st century..."

Read the full story (download PDF)