Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Ascent | 20230205 | Conductor and keyboard expert, Richard Egarr, has many musical passions, but in this three-part series he focuses on his love for the harpsichord. In episode one, Richard traces the development of the harpsichord from instruments plucked by the hand, to the psaltery and the virginal. Using selected works by Ennemond Gaultier, Antonio Valente, William Byrd and Jacopo Peri, Richard charts the unstoppable rise in popularity of this `bad keyboard version of the lute`. Richard Egarr traces the rise of the harpsichord. Conductor and keyboard expert Richard Egarr shares his love for the harpsichord. |
| 02 | The Golden Age | 20230212 | Self-proclaimed 'music addict', Richard Egarr, continues his journey along the time-line of the harpsichord. In episode two, he delights in some of the greatest music written for the instrument. From Girolamo Frescobaldi to (as he describes it) the bonkers' music of Dario Castello, Richard traces the golden age of the harpsichord along with selections from Couperin, Handel, Bach and Mozart. When the harpsichord was king of the keyboards. Conductor and keyboard expert Richard Egarr shares his love for the harpsichord. |
| 03 | Death And Transfiguration | 20230219 | In this third and final episode, Richard Egarr takes us from the near complete disappearance of the harpsichord in the 19th century to a remarkable revival; celebrating the important and under-told story of the women who secured that revival - Violet Gordon Woodhouse, Sylvia Marlowe, Isolde Ahlgrimm and Wanda Landowska and Richard shares what he learned from his time with Gustav Leonhardt. From Ligeti to The Beatles, the 'machine that goes ping' continues to surprise as it inspires a new generation of Juilliard harpsichord students in their fresh compositions for the instrument. A new life for the harpsichord. Conductor and keyboard expert Richard Egarr shares his love for the harpsichord. |