I hope that in future early music will be considered as part of the world’s great music as a whole, rather than the preserve of a select few; that there will simply be ‘Music Festivals’ rather than ‘Early Music Festivals’. But that degree of acceptance will depend on us, on our being able to offer quality products. As I was saying earlier, to begin with there were problems regarding performance techniques or skills, because the special techniques required for playing old instruments had not been developed. Nowadays, we know what those skills are and any musician can acquire them. The secret of the early music repertoire’s success is precisely that there is no secret. Nobody compares paintings of the 17th century with those of the 19th century by saying that one is better or worse than the other, so why should we do such a thing with regard to music? Of course, music needs a medium of expression if it is to reach audiences, so we musicians are responsible for making sure that music is truly accessible to people.

In recent years we have seen changes in early music performance criteria. What is your view of those changes?

There have been several stages in the rediscovery of music performed on early instruments. In the beginning, there was a lot of enthusiasm, but also a great deal of controversy. Specialists began by studying first the instruments, then the performance techniques; finally, the instrumental techniques had to be rediscovered and assimilated. Nowadays, that original school of thought that rejected performance traditions rooted in Romanticism has given way to an approach characterised by a more balanced stance in relation to the various performing traditions and a recognition of the rediscoveries made by the first generation of early music specialists.

Solo performer

As a soloist you play both the organ and the harpsichord. With which instrument do you feel more at home?

Both are expressive means of re-creating music, and rather than feeling a preference for one instrument or another, I would say that I am drawn more to some types of music than to others. The instruments are simply a means of approaching the music. When it comes to harpsichord music, the kind of repertoire that I play means that I feel a greater affinity with the Italian and the German schools. Obviously, the personality of the instrument is always crucial in this music, and the nature of the performance will be different, depending on the type of instrument. When the music is played on a particularly appropriate instrument, you can appreciate the difference immediately. The modern performer of early music has to grapple with his own personality and that of the composer; that requires a lot of give and take. The organist and the harpsichordist, in particular, have to adapt to each individual instrument they play. They must therefore constantly adapt, or else face the frustration of never achieving the ideal sound they hope for. In the case of the organ, the situation is even more complicated than with the harpsichord, because in addition to finding the right organ, the musician has to gain access to the church in which the instrument is housed. Sometimes it is not at all easy to obtain permission. However, the very difficulty involved can be turned into something positive, making us surrender to the instrument even as we take possession of it. There is always an element of surprise in getting to know a new instrument, and it can also be very reassuring.

So, your association with the organ is also an association with religious music.