The harpsichord and its repertoire can make for a sensual, intimate avenue of aural escape. That takes not only a sensitive player, but an alluring instrument and the right acoustics -- all present on ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...

Even the term sounds ponderous: Early music. It conjures images of rigid musicians performing on delicate instruments in quiet, serious concert halls. The weight of centuries hangs in the balance.

Goldberg Variations Wolfgang Rübsam, Lute harpsichord Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer There is already a rich catalogue of recordings made on the Lautenwerk, or lute-harpsichord, by the organist, ...

Times are hard, but the death of classical recording has been exaggerated. Here's a rundown of the year's 10 most notable discs, in rough order of my favorite, from contemporary choral works and ...