Kirk McElhearn wrote (November 6, 2001):
Last week, I was in Nantes, where I had a chance to browse among new releases. (The nearest record store to my Alpine village is indeed far.) One that stood out was Blandine Verlet's release of the Partitas on Naive. I listened to a fair amount of the first CD in the store.

I didn't buy it there, but I will, and soon. There is something unique about this recording; the sound of the instrument (the Ruckers she has recorded often) is amazing, and there is a sort of staccato sound to her playing (Brad, maybe you can tell me the right word - what's the opposite of legato?) Her notes all stand out individually, and there is little "overlap" in them. There is a truly magnificent sound that comes out of this, even though it is a bit disconcerting at first.

BTW, I think it blows away even Parmentier.

Feedback to the Review

Peter Bright wrote (November 6, 2001):
[To Kirk McElhearn] Thanks for the advice about the Verlet partitas. I have a her earlier partitas on Phillips Duo (1978), which also includes the French Overture – I admire her playing very much but the harpsichord on this disc sounds very "thin" to my ears (quite opposite to the resonance of the recent Pinnock disc). However, I think I never got around to giving it another go round. I'd very much like to hear more about the new recording (assuming it is not a re-release) - anyone know whether there are snippets available on any internet sites?

Kirk McElhearn wrote (November 7, 2001):
Peter Bright wrote:
< I'd very much like to hear more about the new recording (assuming it is not a re-release) - anyone know whether there are snippets available on any internet sites? >
I just ordered it - it is not a label I get review copies from. I'll be getting it within a week or so, and will post a review when I can.

Partitas BWV 825 830:
Comparative Review: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
Reviews of Individual Recordings: Partitas - P. Anderszewski [McElhearn] | Partitas - P. Anderszewski [Satz] | Partitas - L. Corolan & I. Kipnis | Partitas - E. Feller 1 | Partitas - E. Parmentier | Partitas - A. Rangell | GV & Partitas - K. Richter | Partitas - B. Roberts | Partitas - S. Ross | Partitas - S. Sager | Partitas - C. Sheppard | Partitas - J.L. Steuerman | Partitas - M. Suzuki [McElhearn] | Partitas - M. Suzuki [Henderson] | Partitas - C. Tiberghien | Partitas - R. Troeger | Partitas - B. Verlet | Partitas - K. Weiss | Rübsam - Part 2 | Rübsam - Part 3

Blandine Verlet: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works
Reviews of Instrumental Recordings: Partitas by Blandine Verlet | Verlet’s Goldberg Variations
Discussions of Instrumental Recordings: Goldberg Variations BWV 988 - played by Blandine Verlet