My side-by-side harpsichord/piano chat with Elaine Comparone in her NYC musical sanctuary

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

8 years ago

My visit with Elaine Comparone, harpsichordist, was the first of my musical treats after touching down in hometown New York. While the weather was a bit gray and unseasonable, Maestra Elaine lifted my spirits with her impeccably beautiful reading of Bach’s D minor concerto. Soon enough, it was recorded in full force with ensemble on the day I departed for California. (My loss)

Nonetheless, the perfectly gorgeous playing I had sampled, was a tantalizing entree to the main course that’s soon to be served up on YOU TUBE. (I’ll be embedding it, hopefully, with engaging commentary from Comparone)

Meanwhile, I posted a CONVERSATION Elaine and I had about the J.S. Bach Sinfonia in F minor, BWV 795. Naturally, we shared camera duty and danced between the harpsichord and piano. (She has a sonorous Knabe grand that is among four musical treasures)

You might call her place a “palace” like the one in Versailles, having acoustical brilliance that complements an impressive collection of ornate harpsi’s.

In any “case” the video attached includes Comparone’s complete rendering of the F minor Sinfonia as well our impromptu comments between short playing segments.