A monumental collection of German Baroque piano literature, presented in its entirety for the first time on record and combined with dance suites by an unknown name of the late German Baroque.

The current reputation of Christian Petzold (1677-1733) is based almost exclusively on a single, modest minuet. It was known to generations of young pianists as the 'Minuet in G', and Bach included it in one of the notebooks of pieces he gave to his wife Anna Magdalena to teach. This in turn led to the minuet itself being falsely attributed to Bach himself.

However, much more of Petzold's work has been preserved and is only now being brought to light. Having recorded complete movements of many unsung heroes of the German Baroque, Fernando de Luca now turns his attention to Petzold's collection of no fewer than 25 'concertos' for solo harpsichord. The collection was published in 1729 as "Receuil des XXV" and first appeared in Dresden, where Petzold was organist at the royal court.

The form of these concertos is Italianate, and their richly ornamented sound world is recognizable from the better-known examples by Vivaldi and Corelli. There are dance movements here and there - including minuets - but the predominant genres are determined by tempo: Allegro, Larghetto, Presto and so on. They have such immediate appeal that it is surprising they are not better known, and this release will draw the attention of all adventurous listeners to Baroque rarities.

Fernando de Luca combines Petzold's 25 concertos with a collection of three 'Parthias' - partitas under a different name - by an even lesser-known figure, Isfrid Kayser. This collection, known as 'Concors digitorum discordia', was published in Augsburg in 1746 and conforms to the conventions of a Baroque suite with its graceful dance sequences, preceded by a grand overture and ending with a lively Presto movement.

As so often, Fernando de Luca demonstrates his ability to revive this music with clear phrasing, lively registration and an unerring sense of Baroque style. Scholarly background information on both composers is provided in the booklet with an essay by Francesca Scotti.

Christian Petzold (1677-1733) was a German organist and composer who held court offices in Dresden. From 1703 he was organist at St. Sophia's Church in Dresden and from 1709 also chamber composer at the Saxon court there. Extensive concert tours took him to Paris in 1714 and Venice in 1716.

Petzold's music reflects the typical characteristics of the German Baroque, with a rich use of counterpoint and a strong influence of the dance typical of the Baroque period, such as the minuet, sarabande and gigue. His keyboard music is particularly noted for the clarity and elegance of the melodic lines and features a complex use of polyphony. He was also influenced by the French and Italian music of his time. His most famous composition is his Minuet in G major, which Johann Sebastian Bach, an admirer of Petzold, included in his little book of music for Anna Magdalena Bach.

Isfrid Kayser, originally Laurentius Antonius Kayser (1712-1771), was a German composer, organist and member of the Premonstratensian Order. His creative period coincides with a transitional period between Baroque and Classicism. This recording presents his Concors digitorum discordia Op. 4 (Augsburg 1746), consisting of 3 extensive partitas, music based on baroque forms and counterpoint, but already alluding to the classical sonata form, while using a more gallant, harmonic musical language.

Played by Fernando De Luca, one of Italy's foremost harpsichordists, who has recorded the complete keyboard works of Graupner, Moyreau and others to great critical acclaim and published by Brilliant Classics.