Gottfried Grünewald was a successful opera singer in 18th century Germany, working for many years at the theater in Hamburg, but was also a well-known figure at German courts and theaters throughout Germany. When he died in 1739, the composer Christopher Graupner (his colleague in Darmstadt) destroyed most of Grünewald's music, as was apparently an agreement between them. Only seven piano partitas have survived to the present day, and they are recorded here in their entirety for the first time, in the spirited hands of Fernando de Luca, who has done so much to rescue forgotten names from obscurity with his albums for Brilliant Classics.

The loss of Grünewald's work becomes particularly regrettable when one takes a close look at these partitas. They reveal a deep knowledge of the instrument's technique and a refined taste in composition. Stylistically close to German composers of the time such as Kuhnau and Fischer, they are also reminiscent of the suites that the young Handel composed in Germany (before the Eight Great Suites) and of the music of the young Graupner. Grünewald shows some skill as a contrapuntalist within the limitations of the suite genre.

The preludes of these partitas are not uniform in their form; the Prelude in D minor, for example, contains broad arpeggio chords that introduce and end a strict fugue, but then dissolve into free motif play. Another is purely figurative, a third mixes movement with short imitations. Grünewald's allemandes build up like complicated etudes, including one example that is organistically contrapuntal in structure. The courantes are interwoven with imitative passages, the sarabandes are melodically appealing and sometimes breathe the spirit of Handel's noble gesture. The doubles and minuets almost give the impression of variations. Some pieces have strongly emphasized French rhythms, others avoid them completely.

Possibly incomplete, but certainly impressive, is the two-movement Fourth Suite with its expansive Allemande, followed by an imposing Chaconne, which is a complete contrast to the nine short dances of the Fifth Suite, in which Grünewald displays his most French accent. In a review of Pierre-Thomas Dufour's recent harpsichord music on Brilliant, Fanfare remarked: "De Luca delivers a superb performance with a good sense of phrasing and registration."

Gottfried Grünewald (1673-1739) was a German opera singer (bass), harpsichordist and composer. Nothing is known about his youth and training. From 1703 he was a singer (bass) and composer at the Gänsemarkt Opera in Hamburg. From the beginning of 1709 he worked as deputy conductor at the court of Johann Georg von Sachsen-Weißenfels, where he married the daughter of Johann Philipp Krieger. From 1711, he worked as Christoph Graupner's deputy as Vice-Kapellmeister at the court in Darmstadt. Around 1717, several journeys as a pantaleon virtuoso are documented. He remained active at court until his death. Of his works, only seven partitas for harpsichord have survived, written in the usual style of the time. The suites consist of the usual sequence Prélude-Allemande-Courante-Sarabande-Gavotte-Menuet-Gigue.

"Too many performers limit themselves to the standard repertoire. Fortunately, there are artists who look beyond the obvious; Fernando De Luca is one of them and we should be grateful for him. De Luca is a good interpreter; I enjoyed his performances very much, they are as differentiated as possible, also in his treatment of the tempi. He has the advantage of having a fine instrument at his disposal, a copy of a 1754 Blanchet, which is as 'authentic' as you could wish for." This is what Musicweb International wrote about De Luca's recording of harpsichord works by Foucquet.