Reviews

     
A SELECTION FROM REVIEWS OF LIVE PERFORMANCES
 

As Terence Charlston stepped out of the customary continuo shadows with cascades of solistic bravura, we had a glimpse of the sort of swirling improvisation for which Bach was renowned in his lifetime. This was a beautifully poised Brandenburg 5, benefiting from the thorough understanding the group had developed in recently recording the work. D James Ross, Review of Florilegium Concert at St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney Festival (Early Music Review, 2016).

Terence Charlston's brilliant harpsichord playing in [Brandenburg Concerto] No 5 - came the sense of the sheer cumulative effect of Bach's art, where dazzling display is subservient to the structural integrity and expressive power is paramount. Rian Evans, Review of Florilegium Concert at Bath International Festival, The Guardian (Tuesday 4 June 2013)

The moment in the Brandenburgs that always surprises is the one in the 5th Concerto, where the harpsichordist shoves everyone aside with some truly wild rhapsodising. It’s one of the most subversive moments in all music, and harpsichordist Terence Charlston certainly seized it. Ivan Hewiit, Review of Florilegium Concert at Bath International Festival, The Daily Telegraph (Wednesday 5 June, 2013)

“Next up was the fifth [Brandenburg] concerto, which when composed in 1720 was the first such to present the harpsichord as a solo voice – most prominently in a magnificent three-minute solo passage (surely the concentrate of hours of Bach’s renowned improvising) which Terence Charlston played with great virtuosity and taste. Matthew Zuckerman.” http://listomaniabath.com/reviews/florilegium-brandenburg-concerto.

“The musical highlights of Florilegium’s programme were Terence Charlston’s presentation of four solo harpsichord pieces by Jean-Philippe Rameau.” MICHAEL DERVAN,  Sligo Festival of Baroque Music, www.irishtimes.com, (Wednesday, October 12, 2011)

J. S. Bach's fifth Brandenburg concerto offered Terence Charlston his opportunity to shine, in the brilliant harpsichord cadenza of the first movement. Having accompanied so sensitively and stylishly all evening, the magnitude of this extended solo display was amplified, and Charlston found clever ways of filling this extra space: subtle ritenuti here and there, lifting one higher before the inevitable fall; dramatic accelerandi, working from the ponderous to the terrifyingly climatic, in turn revealing hidden voices in the counterpoint. This was playing of the highest order and came at the end of what had been a staggering programme.  London Handel Players, Stour Music, Boughton Aluph Church, Ashford. Bachtrack (19 June 2011)

Directed elegantly and expertly from the harpsichord by Blackpool-born Terence Charlston, the 17-strong ensemble gave the packed audience some very stylish and sensitive playing. Lancashire Sinfonietta, Peter's Cathedral, Lancaster. Lancashire Evening Post (15 Dec 09)

Terence Charlston am Cembalo machen diese Besonderheiten  auf exzellentem Niveau spürbar. Der Kanon wiederum, bei dem das Thema verloren geht, weil es stetig wiederkehrt, bedeutet hier Angst vor dem Nichts. Hierzu finden sich in Bachs  Musikalischem Opfer eindrucksvolle Beispiele, ebenso wird hier im sechsstimmigen Ricercar für Cembalo solo, einer Vorstufe zur Fuge, die Angst als Flucht vor dem Nichts deutlich – ein brillant gemeisterter Prüfstein für Charlston. VORARLBERGER NACHRICHTEN (Aug 08)

But it was good ole J.S. Bach who provided the best moment. Harpsichordist Terence Charlston's crisp and fluid reading of Bach's Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor was commanding and inventive, a tombeau itself to the genius of Bach.   Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Apr 04)
   
“Que le clavecin de Terence Charlston nous gratifie …l'ornementation discrète de l'interprétation de ce soir, avec son imperceptible mobilité de tactus, sut parfaitement donner l'illusion de nuances d'intensité.
Anaclasse Corbigny, (Aug 04)

Harpsichordist Terence Charlston soloed in Johann Sebastian Bach's famous 'Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue', preparing the audience well for its different sections and following through in the way he characterized the music in performance. Throughout the concert, he was a delightfully sensitive collaborator.”  Oakland USA (Oct 03)

“Terence Charlston brillierte auf Augustburg am Cembalo.” Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (May 03)

“Terence Charlston ging Bachs "Italienisches Konzert" eher bedächtig an, gestaltete alle Details mit feinem Instinkt, arbeitete insbesondere den Gegensatz zwischen Concertino und chorischer Besetzung heraus. Viel Fantasie wandte er auf die Ausgestaltung der Verzierungen, bevor er im Finale ein wahres Feuerwerk abbrannte. Herzlicher Beifall. General-Anzeiger, Bonn (May 02)

“Technically secure and unfailingly sensitive to the musical line… gave ample opportunity to relish the glittering sonority of the harpsichord.”  Edinburgh Herald (Aug 00)  

“…exhilarating, improvisatory harpsichord playing …”  Birmingham Post (May 98)

"The undisputed highpoint...with intelligence and clarity he shows how excitingly modern 'old' music can sound.”  Bonner General-Anzeiger (Aug 98)

 

A SELECTION FROM REVIEWS OF RECORDINGS
 
“Doch die besten Bedingungen sind nichts wert, wenn ein Spieler keine musikalische Vision hat oder sie nicht rüberbringen kann. In dieser Beziehung ist Terence Charlston über jedes Lob erhaben. Er arbeitet mit traumhafter Sicherheit den Charakter eines jeden Stückes vortrefflich heraus. Das schnurrt, schmiegt, schmilzt, schmalzt und schmachtet, dass es nur so eine Freude ist. Einige Stücke hat der Cembalist selbst eingerichtet. Bei diesen kommt gegenüber den andern noch etwas Wichtiges hinzu: ein Nochmehr an Begeisterung und musikalischer Überzeugungskraft.” Mersenne's Clavichord DDA 25134 - Ernst Leuze (Deutsche Clavichord Societät Rundbrief Nr. 77 January/February 2017)

“Clavichords are notoriously difficult to play well. Terence Charlston's performance is miraculous, with everything perfectly in place; yet it does not sound cautious. This is top-level work. The result is one of the best clavichord albums I have ever heard. The sound, historical essays, photography, and the booklet production are deluxe in every way. There is nothing more to say... buy this.” Mersenne's Clavichord DDA 25134 - Bradley Lehman (American Record Guide, 2015)

“Charlston performs with elegance and refinement... virtuosic command... lyricism, graceful, well-paced phrasing. An excellent record with beautiful performances of an unusual collection of repertoire.”  The Harmonious Thuringian DDA 25122 - Michael Unger (American Record Guide, 2014)

“[Brandenburg Concerto] No 5 is similarly controlled, especially in Terence Charlston’s thoughtfully shaped harpsichord cadenza, a refreshing change from the dizzy dash it has so often become. There is an engaging lift, too, in the gigue-style finale.”  Lindsay Kemp - (Gramophone, 2014)

“Terence Charlston showcases this treasure haul brilliantly on a sprightly harpsichord, dulcet clavichord and a robust organ from 1701.” Selosse, Deux-Elles DXL1143. The Times (19 June 2010)

The playing on this CD is nothing short of miraculous: exciting, expressive, rhythmically taught, with every piece gauged to perfection …unabashed “comfort food” for lovers of the harpsichord. Monza, Deux-Elles DXL1117. Fanfare (March/April 10)

Terence Charlston underscores Byrd's 'grave and stately' qualities in these sober, searching performances: he plumbs the melancholic depths of the fifth pavan and gives a visceral account of the sonorous eighth. His robust, muscular technique makes light of Byrd 's deceptively tricky scales and fiddly ornaments. These are resolved and rigorous interpretations. Deux-Elles DXL1136. BBC Music Magazine (July 09)

“The same excellent Terence Charlston on the harpsichord (Channel 15798).” Fanfare (March/April 09)  

“Harpsichordist Terence Charlston shows great imagination and musicality.” International Record Review (Jun 07)  

“An immaculate performance.” Early Music (Nov 05)  

“The organ of Trinity College, Cambridge behaves in his skilful hands with the clarity and directness of Locke's day.” BBC Music Magazine (Nov 03)
 
“Charlston plays with flair, naturally expressive timing and touching serenity.” The Observer, CD of the month (Mar 02)
 
I have been drawn by the completely persuasive playing of the music into placing it immediately among my most favoured Bach harpsichord discs.”
Early Music Review (Feb 02)

“A breathtaking performance, bringing out to the full the hallmarks of rhythmic vitality, chromatic inflection and tragic Affekt. CD review (Feb 02) 

I was particularly struck by Terence Charlston's magnificently arboreal continuo playing.Goldberg Magazine (Jan 99)

“He shows fine clarity of finger and of ornamentation and plenty of spirit.”   Grammophone Magazine (Apr 98)  

“A performance of calculated elegance and focussed spontaneity.” Classic FM Magazine, Record of the month (Mar 98)