Mahan Esfahani Harpsichord Recital Presented by Liszt Academy

“...in its time, the clavecin was rarely smuggled onto the concert podium; this thin-sounding tool was a specialized chamber instrument, used solely in chambers, that is, in rooms. So, if somebody objects that through the expansion of the room into a hall the sound also increased proportionately, they must start their objection to disapprove the expansion of the space, through which they would declare that Rameau, Couperin, Scarlatti and Bach are not suitable for concert halls.” Much has changed since Béla Bartók’s 1912 article Performing works written for harpsichord: thanks to the expansion of historical performance practice from the mid-20th century onwards, the ‘smuggling onto the concert podium’ of period instruments, including the harpsichord, became a civil right, indeed, new works were written for the instrument earlier considered the imperfect predecessor of the piano. Mahan Esfahani considers it his mission to have the harpsichord accepted as a solo instrument in ever wider circles. He is fulfilling this mission as a performance artist in some of the world’s biggest concert halls, as presenter on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and as teacher at the Guildhall School of Music. The Iranian-American artist proves his commitment to both old and new music not only through this Budapest concert but through his recordings, too.