's eight suites for keyboard are not heard nearly as often as the so-called and of , but here, harpsichordist makes a powerful case for them. The problem may be that they are early works, too often treated as exercises in the French dance style, but was recognized as a superb keyboardist very early on, and the "winged hands" title of this release refers to a contemporary assessment of his talents. They are superbly fitted to 's brilliant, almost flamboyant style, and even those who know the music may feel they are hearing it anew. It is not only the preludes, where adds a good deal of speculative but well-chosen ornamentation, but also the arrangements of opera overtures, some of them probably by himself. Best of all is a truly mighty Passacaille, packing a remarkable amount into three minutes and 20 seconds, that concludes the , coming after the sparkling gigue that normally comes last. 's readings are coherent as well as brilliant, and a substantial program of two hours and 20 minutes never drags in the least. plays a harpsichord by , a copy of a 1738 Hannover instrument that one imagines was close to what knew. The only objection here is the cavernous sound from the Villa San Fermo in Lonigo, entirely wrong for evoking the upholstered rooms where would have played this music. or the engineers seem to have wanted to emphasize the intense, powerful quality of his playing, but really, he didn't need the help on this fine keyboard release that hit best-seller charts in the summer of 2022. ~ James Manheim