Terence Charlston - Chit Chat: Music for Two Clavichords (2023)

How often does one encounter the rich sonority of two clavichords on two superb historical instruments? This project celebrates this rare and enchanting medium with a range of works written specifically for Terence Charlston and Julian Perkins by acclaimed composer-performers Iain Farrington and Heloise Werner, in addition to works by Alexander J. Blustin, Peter Maxwell Davies, Nicola LeFanu, Timothy Roberts, Peter Thorne, and Charlston himself. Following their successful performances and online videos, Terence and Julian have committed this repertoire to disc - not least to encourage more people to discover a new world of sound. The music ranges in style from New Orleans Jazz to atonality with occasional forays into modern takes on old (er) styles. Special techniques are sometimes used to conjure up unusual sounds, such as the use of cloth wedges to strum the strings and fingers pressed against the strings to create plucking effects. While blend is important, each clavichord has a distinctive voice that enables the performers to have a musical chit-chat. Further colour is provided by the use of an unequal temperament that still allows the music to venture into distant harmonic realms. The recording features two unfretted clavichords by two renowned makers: one based on an instrument from about 1775 by Johann Heinrich Silbermann and made by Peter Bavington in London; the other based on one by Johann Emanuel Schon, 1748 and made by Andreas Hermert in Berlin. The inspiration for this collaboration came from Peter Maxwell Davies' Four Lessons for Two Keyboards, an original clavichord work written in 1978. The recording also includes Maxwell Davies' popular modern classic, Farewell to Stromness, in an original arrangement for two clavichords. Terence Charlston is a performer on historical keyboard instruments, especially the clavichord which has become a focus of his recent concerts and recordings. He is Professor of Harpsichord and Chair of Historical Keyboard Instruments at the Royal College of Music in London. In June 2023, Julian Perkins released Handel's Attick, his fourth solo clavichord recording. Based in the UK, he is the Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in Oregon, USA. He enjoys combining this role with that of Artistic Director of Cambridge Handel Opera and the period-instrument ensemble Sounds Baroque, in addition to his activities as a solo keyboardist/duettist, chamber musician and director.