Among the various recordings brought out to mark the 400th anniversary of 's death in 1623 was this complete set of pieces from My Ladye Nevells Booke, which made classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2023. Harpsichordist is a specialist in complete recordings that cover large collections of sectors of a composer's output; he has already recorded the larger Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, with hundreds of pieces by and others. My Ladye Nevells Booke is a collection of pieces that assembled and gave to a patron. It wasn't in any sense meant as a single work (and, in fact, the recording was made at different times over several years), but seems to at least entertain the possibility that someone might listen to the three-disc album straight through (the pieces are in order as they appear in the manuscript); he uses five different instruments, one of them apparently a original, to vary the texture. My Ladye Nevells Booke hasn't often been recorded complete, but truth to tell, for those with the stamina, it has lots to reveal when heard this way. The album shows 's mastery of all genres of keyboard music, from adaptations of vocal pieces to instrumental pavans and galliards, ground bass pieces, fascinating experiments like , and even a big descriptive piece, . Hearing them all together shows the depth and density of 's thinking in each one. 's playing is straightforward, his ornaments crisp and intense -- just what is needed in a big set like this. The sound engineering is mighty close up, and one might sample around to determine how much of an impediment this will be, but collections should benefit from this ambitious release. ~ James Manheim