Keyboardist Johan Brouwer studied organ under Wim van Beek and music theory under Frans van Eeden at the Groningen conservatory, then harpsichord at the Amsterdam conservatory. He has given concerts in the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Portugal, England, and Germany, and has served as leader of the Groningen baroque orchestra Collegium Musicum. His previous harpsichord albums have garnered him critical acclaim across the globe. For this release, Brouwer explores the influence that Italian music had on French music and on the music of J. S. Bach. He performs this program on a copy of a 17th century French harpsichord, built by David Rubio after an instrument by Vaudry. The Vaudry instrument has a characteristic French timbre and a more Italian mode of construction, which makes it a suitable instrument for the recording at hand.
