Fernando Valenti (harpsichord) Padre Antonio Soler, Ten Sonatas

Instrument not mentioned in the documentation, but I presume it is an instrument built by John Challis (large double manual, leather plectra harpsichord)
Released 1975 by Desmar Records, New York, DSM1001 Stereo
Produced & engineered by David Hancock
Photography Robert Belott
Design Judith Bookbinder
Art direction Paula Bisaccra
Liner Notes Marian O. Winter 1975

Thanks to Robert Tifft the webmaster of the European Revival Harpsichordists ( https://jsebestyen.org/harpsichord ) for providing all the documentation and all the digital soundtracks.

Side A
00:00 01 D-flat Major 4'54 No. 88 Allegro*
04:58 02 C Minor 5'50 No. 19 Allegro Moderato*
10:53 03 D Major 3'25 No. 84 Allegro*
14:24 04 A Minor 4'48 No. 118
19:19 05 F-sharp Major 4'42 No.90 Allegro*

Side B
24:06 01 D Minor 4'11 No. 24 Andantino Cantabile*
28:24 02 G Major 4'52 No 94 Obra 4a, Sonata Allegro 1779*
32:23 03 D Major 5'21 No. 86 Andantino/Allegretto*
37:50 04 G Minor 5'22 No. 11
43:18 05 F Major 4'53 No. 89 Allegro*

Derived from Antonio Soler, Complete works for harpsichord, Bob van Asperen. Release Astrée, 1992

Fernando Valenti
"He is now the most exciting of the masters,"says Time magazine of the celebrated harpsichordist Fernando Valenti. Internationally known for the brilliance and artistry of his performances in concert and on records, Valenti has continually won praise from the critics and enthusiasm from his audiences. William Mann, the distinguished London critic, has written: "Valenti is one of the great keyboard players of our time," and Paul Hume of the Washington Post, who described his playing as "consummate art," calls him "one of the harpsichord's outstanding masters."Mr. Valenti 's first instrument was the piano, which he began to study at the age of four. He beganconcertizing in his early teens and seemed well on his way to becoming a piano virtuoso when he entered Yale University. There he studied with Ralph Kirkpatrick who immediately recognized his tremendous musical gifts and affinity for the harpsichord.He persuaded Valenti to change instruments and was soon proved to be correct in his advice.Valenti's debut in New York's Town Hall was a sensation,eliciting rave notices from all five of the major newspapers. Mr. Valenti has played under the baton of such legendary greats as Bruno Walter, Serge Koussevitzky, Leopold Stokowski, and Fritz Reiner. His superlative interpretations of Baroque music have made him, a most sought-after performer in festivals such as the Bach Bicentennial at Prades, the Berkshire Festival in Tanglewood, the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, the International Festival in Mallorca, Spain, the International Harpsichord Festival in Rome, and the Aspen Festival in Colorado. He has taught on the faculties of the Juilliard School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music and the California Institute of the Arts.

#JohnChallis #FernandoValenti