Mahan Esfahani

Iranian-American musician Mahan Esfahani is a harpsichordist for the 21st century. With a lifelong determination to bring his instrument the modern-day prominence it deserves, he combines scholarly insights with dazzling drama in his performances of music old and new. He is the winner of several prominent awards for his playing, including the Wigmore Medal from Wigmore Hall, London.

Esfahani’s recital reveals the rich harpsichord repertoire of the late Baroque period, from keyboard pioneer Johann Sebastian Bach and his eminent sons to contemporary masters George Frideric Handel and Johann Pachelbel. Esfahani contrasts the elegant dances of Bach's Fourth Partita with the monumental splendour of Handel's mighty G major Chaconne, which explores a single theme from 21 different perspectives, each more virtuosic than the last.

Another Chaconne from Pachelbel demonstrates the composer’s innovation even more imaginatively. Esfahani closes with a Fantasia and Sonata from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose drama and expressive virtuosity look ahead to the music of Haydn and Mozart.

Presented by Edinburgh International Festival