i had the privilege to see gustav leonhardt in concert solo in 1977 at vancouver b.c. in the vancouver hotel ( ballroom)....concert bach exclusively...i remember he playing transcriptions of partita no 2 for solo violin ( with chaconne)...great moment,and great souvenirs

I once heard Leonhardt on St. Paul Sunday with Bill McLaughlin. After he played Frescobaldi, he was completely silent--so much that McLaughlin had to say something. He said, as best as I can remember, "It's hard to say anything after that." Leonhardt then replied, "That is why music exists." It's as memorable a summation of the effect of music as I've ever heard.

A famous saying of us (three high school friends from the Netherlands): Leonhardt at the harpsichord? That's heavy metal.... !! And another one: He nails Bach... into your brain. You will never forget it... (And we loved his accurate, intense nailing, but also very detailed, and articulated playing style. Recognizable above all others! Koopman, Gilbert, Staier, Pinnock, Hantai, all great, sparkling, virtuosic, but we loved our Amsterdam Aristocrat. (Funny contrast: remembering first met him in person, he was very gentle and humble, speaking with a very soft tone... It was quite a shock... comparing it to how his hard-core BACH sounded on CD... we actually expected a kind of rough-edged rock star (kidding).) Thanks for the talk, thanks Leonhardt, RIP, your Menuet from the 3th French suite awoke me, collected all the seon, teldec, virgin one by one and even brought me eventually to bying my own harpsichord.... yes! I like to mention the violin sonatas with Sigiswald Kuijken together with Leonhardt on DHM, found them much better than the Teldec/Lars Fryden. I think the balance in the recording is much better. But perhaps is it my love for the solo sonatas by Kuijken that blinds me... (a set I bought double in case one should damage)

Leonhardt was a master of structure and tension and release, which is primarily done with agogic timing on harpsichord and organ. His Brandenburg 5 on ABC Seon had my favorite first movement cadenza (with Rudolf Serkin on piano with Busch and Moyse). There is a picture of his with a big smile on one of his Bach lp's (Gustav Leonhardt Speelt Bach).

Before a concert at Oberlin College in the 1980s, Leonhardt, Brueggen, and Bylsma had dinner at a local restaurant. They never spoke to each other throughout the meal. The concert was also dour.

Gustav Leonhardt was an amazing musician and I enjoy his recordings a lot. Thanks for showing the content of this box, it was delightful.

Dave is always complaining about artists who make multiple recordings of the same works, but Gustav Leonhardt had a legitimate reason for it. His explanation was down to earth 'it paid so well'.

Generally austure, Leonhardt let his hair down a bit when conducting Rameau: the suite from Les Paladins and the one act opera Pygmalion are very fine and fun.

I started collecting Leonhardt with his Bach Guild recording of the art of fugue.....and then all his Bach accross many labels, and Rameau. He was generally the first performer I had playing on original instruments. I always liked what I heard. As I acquired other performers....not from his school, I gradually stopped listening to him. Then his SEON recordings came out.....I began to see him and his school as very dry, using dull sounding instruments, and sparce overall sound with any ensemble. Basically, what you described in your video.... I realize after listening to your recording I stopped listening to all recordings Leonhardt was involved with. THere were always others that were more interesting, fuller richer sound and generally more alive.... I bypassed the earlier collections you showed because I had all of it. I never listened to him outside of Bach and Rameau. And, I stopped listening to his recordings. I considered getting the box for Nostalgia....and learning about new composers I neglected. But, the box is not complete accross labels...and DO I WANT TO LEARN FROM LEONHARDT?? I admire Bruggen, Bylmsa. I dont like Koopman. And I realize, I dont care for leonhardt. But, i will go back and relisten to his recordings......I know this is dragging out too long...sorrry .

I have just ordered this boxed set in. I am a fan from back in the seventies and yes I did have the harpsichord concertos boxed set. I was hoping there was going to be his version of the D minor harpsichord concerto included in this . Is that the case?? Andrew

I guess trying to find a good photo of Mr. Leonhart is like trying to find a photo of Dmitri Shostakovich smiling. I only found one. Someone can let me know if they find any others. KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING !!!!

I have to say we were playing Frescobaldi in my junior high band c. 1965. ;) No idea who did the arrangements. Obviously not hip.

Someone needs to compose a Concerto for Frankenstein’s Monster’s Left Hand.

The password is PERFUNCTORY.

David, a serious question - you must spend an absolute fortune on box sets. At the start of this video you pull out box set after box set, some of them older versions of the box set which you have replaced with the current version. How do you manage to afford it all? I'm envious, I wish I could.

He told me that American musicologists, such as Sol Babitz, had no say regarding early music performance practice "just as Germans have nothing to offer in performing jazz." I thought he was a snob.

Are you ready for Jordi Saval’s Beethoven Symphonies?

Leonhardt sounds to a small degree like some of the weirdos I used to consort with at the local classical record store; who thought that nothing worth a damn was written since Bach and Mozart. How do you even reason with this sort of nonsense?