Glen Wilson was born in Illinois in 1952. He studied at The Juilliard School before moving to Holland in 1971 as a student of Gustav Leonhardt. He was active in Dutch musical life for 20 years (harpsichordist of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Opera, Quadro Hotteterre and duo-partner of Leonhardt, Wieland Kuyken, Alice Harnoncourt, Michael Chance, and many others) before moving to Bavaria as professor at the Music University of Würzburg. He has since conducted his edition of Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria for the Netherlands Opera over 60 times on three continents (DVD on BBC Opus Arte).

Wilson’s recordings include seven solo albums for Teldec/Das Alte Werk, a continuing solo series for Naxos, the Mozart/da Ponte operas with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and many chamber music discs. His edition of the Préludes of Louis Couperin, which he ascribed in a recent article to Louis’ brother Charles, was awarded the German Music Publishers’ Prize for best scholarly edition, and his recent Naxos recording of the complete works of Ferdinando Richardson [Naxos 8.572997] received the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

Wilson has edited two volumes of previously unknown suites by Gottlieb Muffat for Breitkopf & Härtel, which have been recorded as world premieres for Naxos by his colleague and wife, Naoko Akutagawa [8.572610 and 8.573275].

A Londoner and a joiner by trade, Giles Farnaby occupies an ambivalent position in the English music of his period, lacking something of the consistency of his more distinguished contemporaries and apparently, in the long run, lacking material success either as a musician or as a joiner or virginal-maker.

Keyboard Music

Chief among Farnaby’s surviving compositions are eleven Fantasias for virginals. There is a smaller number of keyboard pieces still extent by Farnaby’s son Richard.