Topic: Bach English Suites on piano

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I have owned this CD by Pogo for over a decade and truly enjoy it.  It may now be OOP though ...

Agree with that, wonderful recording. Thankfully it's been reissued:

[Mandryka]

One guy to watch for this music is Nicholas Angelich. I saw him play the second English suite a couple of years ago and it was a real memorable and characterful performance. quite restrained in terms of how he used the piano's potential for dynamic variation and for colour. But nevertheless very dramatic, really due to tensions created by counterpoint.

I've got a file of the concert (it was the Bach suite and the big Liszt sonata.) If anyone wants it they can let me know.

[Coopmv]

Agree with that, wonderful recording. Thankfully it's been reissued:

I also have the Pogo's Scarlatti Sonatas as an original release. 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I also have the Pogo's Scarlatti Sonatas as an original release.

Yep, me too! Great disc.

[Bulldog]

Agree with that, wonderful recording. Thankfully it's been reissued:

Overall, I agree with the praise for the Pogorelich disc, except that I was less than happy with his soft-spoken ways in both gigues.

[Brahmsian]

Just listening to Hewitt's recordings of the English Suites.  The English Suites are my favourite Bach solo keyboard works, after the Goldberg Variations.

The Gavotte I and II from the 6th Suite has got to be one of my favourite movements of all solo keyboard repertoire.  I just love it!   

[SergeCpp]

Here my old (~2012-14) list of piano preferences for English Suites. New discoveries are exist but they are not carefully listened and re-listened yet.

Murray Perahia (1997-98)
Angela Hewitt (2002-03)
Andras Schiff (1988)
Robert Levin (1999)
Wolfgang Rubsam (1995)
Glenn Gould (1971-76)
Ivo Janssen (2000)
Vladimir Feltsman (2005)

//

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Somehow I like these unique recordings by Anderszewski, Rangell, and Rubsam (I like the mainstream recordings as well). Dismissive opinion of any, or all, of these discs are totally understandable and reasonable. Even I find the freedom they took too much sometimes.

[vers la flamme]

What are the "mainstream" picks for the English Suites, anyway? Schiff, maybe, the blue cover on Decca? This is one cycle within Bach's keyboard music that has largely eluded me. I've ordered the Leonhardt, on harpsichord, of course, but I do also want a recording of it on piano.

Anyway, Rübsam sounds good! Quick side by side comparison, better than Schiff, which surprised me.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

What are the "mainstream" picks for the English Suites, anyway? Schiff, maybe, the blue cover on Decca? This is one cycle within Bach's keyboard music that has largely eluded me. I've ordered the Leonhardt, on harpsichord, of course, but I do also want a recording of it on piano.

Anyway, Rübsam sounds good! Quick side by side comparison, better than Schiff, which surprised me.

Other members are better qualified to answer the question, and they will (rightly) question the term mainstream. I should be more careful about wordings. I like Perahia and Janssen.

[Mandryka]

What are the "mainstream" picks for the English Suites, anyway? Schiff, maybe, the blue cover on Decca? This is one cycle within Bach's keyboard music that has largely eluded me. I've ordered the Leonhardt, on harpsichord, of course, but I do also want a recording of it on piano.

Anyway, Rübsam sounds good! Quick side by side comparison, better than Schiff, which surprised me.

The English Suites were a high point of Walcha’s harpsichord output.

I am fond of Ketil Haugsand’s recording. Colin Tilney is very much worth trying to hear. The one from Suzuki impressed me when it first came out. Pinnock also worth a try. On piano, I wouldn’t go there if I were you.

That being said I should make it clear that I’ve not thought about the music much.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The English Suites were a high point of Walcha’s harpsichord output.

I am fond of Ketil Haugsand’s recording. Colin Tilney is very much worth trying to hear. The one from Suzuki impressed me when it first came out. Pinnock also worth a try. On piano, I wouldn’t go there if I were you.

That being said I should make it clear that I’ve not thought about the music much.

I don’t recall Pinnock’s E suites. It could be a thought experiment like Schrodinger’s Cat.

[Mandryka]

I don’t recall Pinnock’s E suites. It could be a thought experiment like Schrodinger’s Cat.

I’m thoroughly pissed off now because I can’t remember who I was thinking of! If not Pinnock . . . who? It’s very annoying.


Anyway, searching for a solution to this enigma reminded me of Egarr’s recording.

AND . . . I didn't see this was supposed to be about piano! Fuck!

[(: premont :)]

The English Suites were a high point of Walcha’s harpsichord output.

I am fond of Ketil Haugsand’s recording. Colin Tilney is very much worth trying to hear. The one from Suzuki impressed me when it first came out. Pinnock also worth a try.

Wishful thinking?