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Product Details
Audio CD (November 14, 1995) 
Number of Discs: 1 
Label: Philips 
ASIN: B0000057N0 
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews) 
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,856 in Music (See Top 100 in Music) 


This is a reissue of a set of Mercury Living Presence LPs recorded in 1962. Mercury's Living Presence series was renowned for its sound quality; even though this is an ADD CD, the sound quality leaves nothing to be desired.
The first track on the CD is an anonymous piece from 1500, which, with its jumping rhythm and melody, is eerily reminiscent of some of Grieg's piano pieces and some of Tchaikovsky's ballet music, composed nearly four-hundred years later. It is the most unusual piece on a CD filled with pieces that are, if not unusual, at least, with the exception of Bach's Concerto in Dm, not well-known at all, frequently by composers who are equally obscure. All too frequently, I find that music remains little-known because it does not deserve to be known better. That is not the case here. Puyana has chosen wisely; the listener, unless he is quite a musicologist, will be hearing many of these pieces for the first time, and, I think, enjoying them immensely. 

Puyana uses a firmer touch than most other harpsichordists, yet he is never heavy-handed. His rhythmic drive is strong, yet he pays attention to the nuances of the pieces.

This CD is also an exceptional value, providing nearly seventy-five minutes of great music at mid-price.