Skip Sempe (photo Marco Borggreve)

Fiery virginalists

Skip Sempé
Sun 23 Feb 2025 14:00 - 15:00
Sun 23 Feb 2025
14:00 - 15:00
  • Sun 23 Feb 2025
    14:00 - 15:00
    Grote Zaal

Program

Music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book: Preludes, Pavanes & Galliards, Fantasieën, Dansen, Lamenti, Madrigalen, Masques, Airs and Grounds by William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, William Tisdall, Giovanni Picchi, William Inglott, Peter Philips, John Munday and Henry Purcell

Credits

Skip Sempé harpsichord 

Colourful music for an adventurous harpsichordist

The world of the English virginalists between 1550 and 1650 buzzed with life and colour. From the simplest melodies to flamboyant shows, from dance music to the magic of the polyphonic Renaissance tradition. The adventurous American harpsichordist Skip Sempé plays the music of William Byrd, Orlando di Lasso, Henry Purcell and all the others as if he was made for it.

For him – and for us – it is a delight to browse through the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, a collection of harpsichord pieces from 16th century England, when Elizabeth I reigned. Pavanes, galliards, masques, airs: utterly breath-taking. Skip Sempé attracted attention early on for his unique interpretations. He won the Diapason d’Or de l’année, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, and a Grammy Award nomination for them.