Bach on the harpsichord, lute-harpsichord, clavichord

[jlaurson]

Yes, but they're totally incoherent.

I gave it a first listen a couple of days ago, and nothing about it stood out, positive or negative.  Playing style seems comparable to his WTC, but there's no single characteristic I could point to that would apply to this performance.

Incoherent would suggest "strongly negative" though, no?

And you can't find a characteristic in his WTC, either? I understand that some ears might find it boring or routine (which I thought for a while, as well). But regardless of whether that makes them good or not, Egarr's playing is incredibly soft, has a very flexible touch (I don't mean rubato, of which there is hardy little, but the actual pluck), and the results are very nuanced. Nothing 'in your face', certainly. Can't say that I'd recommend them above all others, but for myself I've come around to it... especially Book II. Still waiting to hear the English Suites, though.

[Sammy]

Incoherent would suggest "strongly negative" though, no?

And you can't find a characteristic in his WTC, either? I understand that some ears might find it boring or routine (which I thought for a while, as well). But regardless of whether that makes them good or not, Egarr's playing is incredibly soft, has a very flexible touch (I don't mean rubato, of which there is hardy little, but the actual pluck), and the results are very nuanced. Nothing 'in your face', certainly. Can't say that I'd recommend them above all others, but for myself I've come around to it... especially Book II. Still waiting to hear the English Suites, though.

I tend to prefer Egarr's Book I by a little bit.  I agree about his softness and flexibility; I also appreciate the cantabile style he uses.  However, in the end I'm not taken by any of his Bach recordings.

[kishnevi]

Incoherent would suggest "strongly negative" though, no?

And you can't find a characteristic in his WTC, either? I understand that some ears might find it boring or routine (which I thought for a while, as well). But regardless of whether that makes them good or not, Egarr's playing is incredibly soft, has a very flexible touch (I don't mean rubato, of which there is hardy little, but the actual pluck), and the results are very nuanced. Nothing 'in your face', certainly. Can't say that I'd recommend them above all others, but for myself I've come around to it... especially Book II. Still waiting to hear the English Suites, though.

Incoherent was meant to describe my reaction to Egarr's playing--not meant to describe Egarr's playing.
What I meant to say is that there's nothing I can latch onto as a leading characteristic of how Egarr plays the Suites, at least after that single hearing.  Some performances you can attach a leading adjective to after only one hearing;  Egarr's is not one of them--although possibly your word ("nuanced") might work well.  I've played his WTC a few times, and still can't give a description of it that would (in my own mind) convey an adequate impression to someone who had not heard the recording for themselves.  But the general style of this recording seems to be cut from the same cloth as his WTC, so how you react to his WTC is probably a good indicator of how you will react to this recording.

I would not, btw, call Egarr's playing in the Suites or the WTC, boring or routine.  His Goldbergs, OTOH, give new life to the bromide that they were written as a cure for aristocratic insomnia.  Fortunately his Bach has improved considerably since then.

[Opus106]

For purposes of entertainment only!

Proceed at your own risk: http://tempuscollection.com/main/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=11&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&lang=en

Maximiano Cobra plays Bach on a cembalo!

[TheGSMoeller]

I'm in search of a list of recordings of WTC separating piano and harpsichord (clavichord, lute-harpsichord), I want to get another Book I and II but not on piano. Everywhere I search bunches them all together.
Anyone know where I can find one? Thank you!

[SonicMan46]

My 'newest' addition to my collection that qualifies for this thread - love the clavichord on an excellent  instrument & recorded well:

[Geo Dude]

I'm in search of a list of recordings of WTC separating piano and harpsichord (clavichord, lute-harpsichord), I want to get another Book I and II but not on piano. Everywhere I search bunches them all together.
Anyone know where I can find one? Thank you!

Sorry for taking so long to help out with this.  I can't offer you a list (though tossing in harpsichord into your search can help), but I can recommend Dantone's and Watchorn's book one and two.  Do some sampling, though, some people find Watchorn a bit heavy in book one.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Now that I'm getting back into vinyl, I just discovered that I have a set of the Partitas played by a certain James Weaver, issued as part of a Smithsonian box back in the 1970s.

Does anyone have an opinion on this recording? I don't think it was ever released on CD.

[prémont]

Now that I'm getting back into vinyl, I just discovered that I have a set of the Partitas played by a certain James Weaver, issued as part of a Smithsonian box back in the 1970s.

Does anyone have an opinion on this recording? I don't think it was ever released on CD.

I got it more than 15 years ago and have not listened to it for a long time. I remember, that I found it musically very satisfying.
Maybe it is time for a relisten.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I got it more than 15 years ago and have not listened to it for a long time. I remember, that I found it musically very satisfying.
Maybe it is time for a relisten.

Thanks, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. I also have the Brandenburgs issued as part of the same series, and am listening to No. 5 right now. A very nice (if somewhat generic) period-instrument performance, in excellent sound.

[prémont]

Thanks, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. I also have the Brandenburgs issued as part of the same series, and am listening to No. 5 right now. A very nice (if somewhat generic) period-instrument performance, in excellent sound.

Also this one I own. So I can listen to both set at the same sitting.

[kishnevi]

Playing through Andras Schiff's 12 CD box of the major Bach keyboard works, and having Hewitt's complete traversal,  it struck me that while I have all of them on harpsichord, usually several times over, and have the Teldec box with various keyboardists contributing,  that I don't know who among harpsichordists has done a complete traversal (or at least a complete traversal of the "major" works).

So I am asking:

Who has done such a cycle on harpsichord?

And who among the alternatives (assuming there's more than one) would you suggest.


Boxed up neat and convenient would be ideal, but if I need to buy it in installments,  I will.

[jlaurson]

Playing through Andras Schiff's 12 CD box of the major Bach keyboard works, and having Hewitt's complete traversal,  it struck me that while I have all of them on harpsichord, usually several times over, and have the Teldec box with various keyboardists contributing,  that I don't know who among harpsichordists has done a complete traversal (or at least a complete traversal of the "major" works).

So I am asking:

Who has done such a cycle on harpsichord?

And who among the alternatives (assuming there's more than one) would you suggest.


Boxed up neat and convenient would be ideal, but if I need to buy it in installments,  I will.

Good question. I can't think of any that are all-harpsichord... Strange. Actually... there's one, I think... namely Brilliant's subset box with Pieter-Jan Belder and a few others!?

[kishnevi]

Good question. I can't think of any that are all-harpsichord... Strange. Actually... there's one, I think... namely Brilliant's subset box with Pieter-Jan Belder and a few others!?

I was thinking in terms of a single player, actually---besides which I have Belder's WTC and Partitas (and maybe English Suites, I'll have to go looking) already.  I was sort of hoping he had done a complete traversal.   (And I could get the entire Brilliant Complete box for not much more than what AmazonDE wants for that subset!)  For multiple players I've got the Teldec box, plus the Hanssler box but of course large chunks of that are not PI.

To be clear, it doesn't need to be entirely on harpsichord.  Clavichord and lute harpsichord work just as well.  What I really am looking for is a single player PI cycle of the keyboard works.   Egarr might be working his way through the major works, at least.  How much has Watchorn actually recorded?

[jlaurson]

I was thinking in terms of a single player, actually---besides which I have Belder's WTC and Partitas (and maybe English Suites, I'll have to go looking) already.  I was sort of hoping he had done a complete traversal.   (And I could get the entire Brilliant Complete box for not much more than what AmazonDE wants for that subset!)  For multiple players I've got the Teldec box, plus the Hanssler box but of course large chunks of that are not PI.

To be clear, it doesn't need to be entirely on harpsichord.  Clavichord and lute harpsichord work just as well.  What I really am looking for is a single player PI cycle of the keyboard works.   Egarr might be working his way through the major works, at least.  How much has Watchorn actually recorded?

Well... that means we're back to: there are none... and Watchorn may be furthest down that path. But it's striking... shocking perhaps, that there is no such set yet. I wonder how much the individual recordings of two Blandines have covered...

[Opus106]

Leonhardt on Seon/DHM and Virgin has covered most of the major works. WTC, CU I (Virgin), CU II, GV, Two- and three-part Inventions, English (also Virgin) and French suites, and the AoF.

[prémont]

Who has done such a cycle on harpsichord?

And who among the alternatives (assuming there's more than one) would you suggest.

Many of the cycles (recordings of all major works by one performer) are OOP.

From the top of my head there are:

Isolde Ahlgrimm (Philips LP early 1950es, rereleased in two LP boxes ca 1975) OOP

Ralph Kirkpatrick (Archiv LP late 1950es - early 1960es) parts of it rereleased on CD

Helmut Walcha (EMI LP - originally Odeon 1958 - 1962) Toccatas manualiter not included. Rereleased by Japanese EMI maybe 15 years ago, but as well as impossible to get hold of complete. The WTC, Inventions and Goldbergs have been rereleased on CD by French EMI in a 5 CD box.

Martin Galling (Vox LP ca 1962 - 68), rereleased on CD by Vox - may also be had in a sonical inferior Membrane release.

Zuzana Ruzickova (Erato and Supraphon 1970es) I have only heard parts of the Erato release and do not know if she actually made two integrals or if the Erato release is  identical with the Supraphon release.

Christiane Jaccottet (Intercord CD 1980es) , original CDs OOP but many of them rereleased by cheap labels like Zyx.

Kenneth Gilbert (split between Harmonia Mundi and Archiv during mostly the 1980es) also to a great extent OOP, particularly the Harmonia Mundi CDs

Gustav Leonhardt (split between DHM and Sony/Seon - and alternative versions of the Partitas and English suites for EMI/Virgin). What is missing are most of the Toccatas.

Masaaki Suzuki ongoing cycle on BIS we have Clavierübung I,II,(III) and IV, the Inventions, the French suites, the WTC and various other pieces. Missing are the English suites and the Toccatas.

Pieter-Jan Belder (Brilliant 2000es) has recorded Clavierübung I,II and IV as well as the WTC, the Inventions and the French suites and various other pieces. What is missing are the English suites and the Toccatas.

Peter Watchorn ongoing cycle (Musica Omnia), until now we have got the WTC, the English and French suites, the Inventions and for Haenssler he recorded the Toccatas and the Concerto transcriptions.

I think Koopman and Egarr with time are going to make complete cycles.

[kishnevi]

Thanks.   It wouild seem I need to start assembling Watchorn and Suzuki, and figure out what I don't have from Leonhardt and Belder....

[kishnevi]

Speaking of Belder:

Contents as listed at Prestoclassical

   
Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Amati String Trio

Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Elena Barshai (organ)

Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Pieter-Jan Belder (harpsichord)

Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Yuan Sheng (piano)

Release date is given as June 10.

[JaapT]

Yesterday I listened to some of the partitas played by Pascal Dubreuil. They are generally well played, but a bit slow for my taste. I own the version of Leonhardt (Virgin) and Scott Ross, both of which I prefer over Dubreuil. Although both are quite different. WIth Leonhardt everything seems just right, whereas Scott Ross is more forceful, masculine, I would say.

Anyway, what caught my attention about the CD by Dubreuil is the booklet. It contains a letter from an anonymous Frenchman who attended a concert at Cafe Zimmermann. I never heard of the existence of this letter. But it describes how Bach first plays one of the partitas and then some of the harpsichord concertos (with an orchestra of one to a part) with his sons. He also writes that Bach used unequal temperament, unlike the French.

This seems a rather important eyewitness account, but I was wondering if it is real, since a) it confirms all our prejudices and b) I can't find any other reference to it. Does anyone no more about this letter?