electrocd

comme si l’hydrogène… the desert speaks…

Vivienne Spiteri

Vivienne Spiteri, harpsichord

CD (JETW 931)

  • Label: J&W
  • JETW 931
  • 1992
  • Total duration: 67:23
  • Jewel case
  • 125 mm × 142 mm × 10 mm
  • 110 g

On the web

In the press

Electric Harpsichord

James Baiye, Paris Transatlantic, January 1, 1994

For sheer excitement, try a midi harpsichord toccata on for size. Vivienne Spiteri, harpsichordist extraordinaire, has produced a phenomenal disc of aggressive and insightful new electroacoustic music for an old instrument. For fans of mechanistic music, David Keane’s Turbo Toccata will be a sure hit. Others will find fulfillment in the classicism of Bruce Pennycook’s “The Desert Speaks.” The harpsichord has always lent itself to virtuosity, and Spiteri capitalizes on this: The energy level is high on this disk - the tension never lets up. One highlight is the amplified breathing down your neck of the hair-raising “jardin secret ii,” (secret garden ii) for tape and harpsichord, by Kaija Saariaho. As the liner note says, “au diable le conformisme!” (To hell with conformity!).