Hommage a Zuzana Ruzickova (2CD)

Hommage a Zuzana Ruzickova

J.S. Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903
J.S. Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816
J.S. Bach: Concerto for Harpsichord No. 9 in G major, Op. 4 No. 1, BWV 980
Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas (selection)*
Manuel de Falla: Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin and Cello*
Viktor Kalabis: Sei invenzioni canonici per cembalo, Op. 20*
Francis Poulenc: Concert champetre: Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra*
Jan Rychlik: Hommaggi gravicembalistici for Harpsichord*
Bohuslav Martinu: Concerto for Harpsichord and Small Orchestra, H 246
* First time on CD

Zuzana Ruzickova: harpsichord
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Kurt Sanderling, conductor (Poulenc)
Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra / Vaclav Neumann, conductor (Martinu)
etc.

Recorded: 1967-91

Zuzana Ruzickova, an exceptional personality upon whom the critics conferred the title "First Lady of the Harpsichord", continued the pioneering efforts Wanda Landowska had made to get the harpsichord recognised as an independent concert instrument.

The path she took was co-determined by her lifelong relationship to Bach, whose complete works for harpsichord she has recorded, and along it she was also accompanied by a number of friends she regularly met: Karel Ancerl, Gideon Klein, Sviatoslav Richter, Josef Suk.

She hasn't, however, remained merely a Bach specialist: in addition to early music, she has recorded all the classic modern harpsichord works, including Poulenc's Concert champetre and her beloved Bohuslav Martinu's Concerto for Harpsichord, awareness of which she helped to raise all over the world. A number of pieces have been written directly for Zuzana Ruzickova, among them compositions by Jan Rychlik and the remarkable Sei invenzioni canonici per cembalo by Viktor Kalabis, whom the harpsichordist was married to for over half a century.

This representative selection from Zuzana Ruzickova’s highly acclaimed discography is Supraphon’s way of marking her 85th birthday. ( Supraphon )