Your Twenty Favorite Bach Harpsichordists

[Bulldog]

Artists playing on the clavichord or fortepiano are included.

My picks are:

Dantone
Moroney
Hill
Suzuki
Verlet
Riemer
Rousset
Curtis
Cates
Leonhardt
Gilbert
van Asperen
Hantai
Brookshire
Watchorn
Wilson
Richter
Frisch
Ross
Cera

[Brian]

Don, Glen Wilson's Goldberg Variations come out on Naxos this month, but only as a digital download, no physical CD.

I didn't vote; I've only heard Beausejour.

[Antoine Marchand]

I miss names like Menno van Delft and Elizabeth Farr. BTW, Egarr's last name has a mistake. 

[Bulldog]

Don, Glen Wilson's Goldberg Variations come out on Naxos this month, but only as a digital download, no physical CD.

I didn't vote; I've only heard Beausejour.

Yes, I've been listening some to Wilson's Goldbergs - sounds mighty fine so far.

Only Beausejour?  There's much better out there.

[Bulldog]

I miss names like Menno van Delft and Elizabeth Farr. BTW, Egarr's last name has a mistake. 

One mistake ain't so bad.

What solo Bach recordings has van Delft made?  I never heard of him except as a group member.  Farr is on my radar, but she hasn't recorded any of Bach's major works for harpsichord that I'm aware of.

Try voting - Out of about 50 artists, there must be a few you enjoy.

[Josquin des Prez]

You forgot Huguette Dreyfus (nice recording of the English Suites). I voted for Ross (Partitas, Concerto and Overture), Gilbert (WTC, English Suites) Leonhardt (English Suites, French Suites) and Walcha (Golbergs).

[Antoine Marchand]

One mistake ain't so bad.

What solo Bach recordings has van Delft made?  I never heard of him except as a group member.  Farr is on my radar, but she hasn't recorded any of Bach's major works for harpsichord that I'm aware of.

Try voting - Out of about 50 artists, there must be a few you enjoy.

My reply was not a mere whim, Don. 

Menno van Delft recorded my favorite Toccatas and my second favorite AoF (2 CDs) on harpsichord, both of them on Brilliant Classics.

About Elizabeth Farr, I just love her work. Although she has not recorded "major" works yet, her recordings on lautenwerck are superb (I recall you prefer Robert Hill) and her Concertos are probably the best option available in the market.

Incredibly, I forgot another name essential to me: Jaroslav Tůma (WTC, Goldbergs and Symphonies and Inventions).

Anyway, I don't answer polls.   

 

[DavidW]

Leonhardt for me!!

[Bulldog]

You forgot Huguette Dreyfus (nice recording of the English Suites). I voted for Ross (Partitas, Concerto and Overture), Gilbert (WTC, English Suites) Leonhardt (English Suites, French Suites) and Walcha (Golbergs).

Have you heard the Ross WTC II?  One of the best.

[Bulldog]

My reply was not a mere whim, Don. 

Menno van Delft recorded my favorite Toccatas and my second favorite AoF (2 CDs) on harpsichord, both of them on Brilliant Classics.

About Elizabeth Farr, I just love her work. Although she has not recorded "major" works yet, her recordings on lautenwerck are superb (I recall you prefer Robert Hill) and her Concertos are probably the best option available in the market.

Incredibly, I forgot another name essential to me: Jaroslav Tůma (WTC, Goldbergs and Symphonies and Inventions).

Anyway, I don't answer polls.   

You're not being the least bit useful.

[Antoine Marchand]

You're not being the least bit useful.

Hey, Don! Even our nonconformist Josquin has been useful this time... You needed a dissident! 

[Bulldog]

Hey, Don! Even our nonconformist Josquin has been useful this time... You needed a dissident! 

Bach is one area where Josquin and I are on the same page - James also.  Bach's sort of a team leader.

[mc ukrneal]

I had no idea there were so many! I thought there were just a handful. 

[Josquin des Prez]

Bach is a father to us all, a true patriarch.

[Bulldog]

I'm a little surprised that nobody has asked about Walter Riemer who recorded the Goldberg Variations and Art of Fugue on a fortepiano.  These are both delightful and potent performances on the little known NF-Audio label.  My review of Riemer's Goldberg Variations can be found on the Bach Cantatas website.

[Marc]

I haven't listened to a lot of them. So I do not feel worthy enough to vote. But yes, I like to listen to f.i. some Dutch blokes like Leonhardt, Van Asperen and Menno van Delft (not mentioned, as has been mentioned ).
Also interesting are Tilney, Rousset and without a doubt a lot of others, like 'Godfather' Helmut Walcha.

Oh, and yes, being an eternal adolescent, I'd like to add that listening to Sophie Yates playing Bach's Italian Concerto, part of her disc 'La Sophie', really gives me that sensation of an angel tickling my eardrums.



0:)

[Josquin des Prez]

Have you heard the Ross WTC II?  One of the best.

No. How the hell did you manage to find it?

[Marc]

No. How the hell did you manage to find it?

Yes, that´s a puzzle.
Even trying on bien-tempéré (wasn´t it released on a French-Canadien label?) is a jungle on the net. Of course there are some torrent downloads.
Maybe the old-fashioned library can offer you a solution. Some central libraries have a lot of OOP discs in their catalogue. Good luck!

[Bulldog]

No. How the hell did you manage to find it?

I acquired the Ross Bk. 2 in 2002, and I don't keep a log of acquisition sources.  It's likely I either got it from Qualiton or in a local store in the "used" bins.  Basically, I just stumbled upon the set.  Good luck in your search.

[DarkAngel]

Rousset has never let me down........
but I do like his newer Ambroise label works more than the older stuff. I would love to someday see new Ambroise label Goldberg Variations and WTC I, II by Rousset

Glen Wilson is my reference harpsichord WTC.....
but have not heard Scott Ross WTC and still waiting for WTC II by Hantai......Rousset still has not given us a WTC, but I would buy it in a heartbeat