Within the admittedly rather small sphere of late Renaissance and early keyboard music,
Daniel Ben-Pienaar has stirred up a bit of a tempest by playing the music on a piano. Here, he turns to the music of
William Byrd, presented in a double album that is, as usual with
Ben-Pienaar, well shaped in terms of variety; dance tunes, keyboard versions of songs, gloomy pavans, and longer pieces like a closing Fantasia (available on streaming services) go by in an engaging way.
Ben-Pienaar has spoken elsewhere of how the piano allows him to "color every note individually by touch, dynamic, or the pedal." This music was originally played on the virginals, and he successfully evokes the sound of that instrument with bright, clear attacks, some use of the pedal to suggest the virginals' resonance, and general avoidance of legato. What one will think of all this is likely to be determined by what one thinks of blatantly ahistorical readings in general, but it is worth noting that
Ben-Pienaar doesn't go much further than
Glenn Gould (who loved
Byrd's music), and it seems likely that
Gould would have approved. Those curious about
Ben-Pienaar might try his more varied
The Long 17th Century album instead, but converts will find many insights into
Byrd here; the pavans and the other slow pieces have unusual depth. The pianist is beautifully recorded by Avie at Potton Hall in Suffolk. ~ James Manheim
