Bach on the harpsichord, lute-harpsichord, clavichord

[prémont]

This recording of the organ-triosonatas on pedal harpsichord (from the same webpage) is also rather interesting, even if the name of the performer may be faked:

http://www.baroquemusiclibrary.com/759Web.html

[Mandryka]

This recording of the organ-triosonatas on pedal harpsichord (from the same webpage) is also rather interesting, even if the name of the performer may be faked:

http://www.baroquemusiclibrary.com/759Web.html

Good find. I listened to the 6th.  Attractive articulation and ornamentation.

[milk]

Does it seem like the output of HIP Bach keyboard music has slowed over the last year or two?

Anyone spent any time with this:
 

[jlaurson]

Does it seem like the output of HIP Bach keyboard music has slowed over the last year or two?

Anyone spent any time with this:

ah, yes. I have that. Somewhere... I remember fond thoughts... but honestly very fuzzy and far-away memories of thoughts they are.

[Mandryka]

Does it seem like the output of HIP Bach keyboard music has slowed over the last year or two?

Anyone spent any time with this:

Ugly, tough, brash, crude, loud.

That approach works better in Scarlatti, where they managed to sell it to me under the description of Duende. In Bach, I'm less open to what they're up to.

I didn't keep the booklet, but I'd be curious to know what they were trying to achieve.

[Mandryka]

Does it seem like the output of HIP Bach keyboard music has slowed over the last year or two?

Not sure, I feel that there is a good supply of new Bach interpretations on record.  Maybe the spotlight is turning to other composers - to Sweelinck for example. It's astonishing the number of Sweelinck recordings there are.

[Que]

Does it seem like the output of HIP Bach keyboard music has slowed over the last year or two?

Anyone spent any time with this:

Is it a reissue of this? AllMusic gives as recording date 1998, so it must be...

Ugly, tough, brash, crude, loud.

Though rather glorified in reviews, I found it rather dissapointing as well.
Crude is an apt description, but then again....I am not a fan of Skip Sempé anyway....

Q

[prémont]

Ugly, tough, brash, crude, loud.

That approach works better in Scarlatti, where they managed to sell it to me under the description of Duende. In Bach, I'm less open to what they're up to.

I didn't keep the booklet, but I'd be curious to know what they were trying to achieve.

Not having heard their Bach CD, I can say that I own a Buxtehude CD with two works (Passacaglia d-minor and Chaconne e-minor) played by them, and the description ugly, tough, crude et.c. is just spot on. The CD contains by the way also some nicely played triosonatas by Buxtehude (DHM).

[prémont]

It's astonishing the number of Sweelinck recordings there are.

Yes, but except for the four more or less complete sets, the other rcordings share much the same small group of works.
I have since long ceased to count how many recordings I own of the Junges Leben variations or the Chromatic Fantasy.

[Jo498]

Not having heard their Bach CD, I can say that I own a Buxtehude CD with two works (Passacaglia d-minor and Chaconne e-minor) played by them, and the description ugly, tough, crude et.c. is just spot on. The CD contains by the way also some nicely played triosonatas by Buxtehude (DHM).

Years ago a friend played that disc and presented the Passacaglia (or Chaconne) as "baroque heavy metal" (he liked it!) It is also played faster than most organ versions, I think. I have the disc (Abendmusik) but I do not remember the specifics, as you say, most of it is occupied by chamber pieces, not keyboard.

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[milk]

Though rather glorified in reviews, I found it rather dissapointing as well.
Crude is an apt description, but then again....I am not a fan of Skip Sempé anyway....

Q

I love his Louis Couperin CD.

[North Star]

I stumbled onto this just now on Youtube, a series of concert performances of all of Bach's works for harpsichord (and quite possibly clavichord, too) - featuring such artists as Benjamin Alard, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Bob van Asperen, Olivier Baumont, Céline Frisch, Pierre Hantaï, Blandine Rannou, Christine Schornsheim, and Kenneth Weiss, among others.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAVazGye4a3SHApqtJwOJvo9gjJ-yrMfV

[Mandryka]

I think this is a great find, Rinaldo Alessandrini playing some Bach preludes and fugues, came out last year, most of the music I don't know, I think taken from throughout Bach's life which gives a certain variety.

Anyway, he plays with lots of expression, but interestingly he varies it - hesitations salient in some pieces, ornaments in others, and that's nice. The truth is the music's so catchy and the performances so my sort of thing I can't stop playing it.

And continuing the Alessandrini theme I came across the first French suite hidden away here



And I think it is wonderfully melancholy.

[kishnevi]

The "Italian Manner" CD has been packaged into this set
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I seem to have missed the P&F disc.  That has been remedied, and my thanks to you.

[Autumn Leaves]

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.

Came across this (to be released) box-set today:



Never heard of the artist before and couldn't find much discussion about her - I am definitely interested in this set (assuming in comes down in price a bit after release).
So just posting here in the hope that someone may have heard some/all of these recordings and may be able to tell me a bit more about them.

[jlaurson]

Came across this (to be released) box-set today:



Never heard of the artist before and couldn't find much discussion about her - I am definitely interested in this set (assuming in comes down in price a bit after release).
So just posting here in the hope that someone may have heard some/all of these recordings and may be able to tell me a bit more about them.

Her various Bach has just been (or still is) being discussed in the Bach's Bungalow thread. I wasn't part of the discussion... but I can tell you that Ruzickova was at one point the leading lady of the harpsichord in her time (almost the Landowska of the 60/70s -- despite Czechoslovakia and the Nazis trying their best that it would never get that far...), that she is still alive, actually; that she's been the teacher of Hogwood and other harpsichord-greats, that she is the wife of Viktor Kalabis, whose music is very interesting and this connection made him write modern works for harpsichord. (Love that linked-to, oop disc, which was my first or second encounter with her.) But I don't know any of her Bach, sadly... though I've almost convinced myself that I should seek it out, now.

[Autumn Leaves]

Her various Bach has just been (or still is) being discussed in the Bach's Bungalow thread. I wasn't part of the discussion... but I can tell you that Ruzickova was at one point the leading lady of the harpsichord in her time (almost the Landowska of the 60/70s -- despite Czechoslovakia and the Nazis trying their best that it would never get that far...), that she is still alive, actually; that she's been the teacher of Hogwood and other harpsichord-greats, that she is the wife of Viktor Kalabis, whose music is very interesting and this connection made him write modern works for harpsichord. (Love that linked-to, oop disc, which was my first or second encounter with her.) But I don't know any of her Bach, sadly... though I've almost convinced myself that I should seek it out, now.

Thanks for your response and the information about Ruzickova - by the way, you have helped me on a number of occasions so just wanted to say thanks for that!
I trawled the Bungalow thread but I wasn't able to get any more info on Ruzickova's recordings - it could be that the discussion you are remembering is even buried in this thread? (I admit I was a bit lazy and didn't read all of the thread before posting) so Ill poke around in this one a bit more later.
If I cant find any more info im happy to take one for the team and post some comments about the sound of the instrument(s) and suchlike after I purchase the set (I guess I was hoping to find out a bit more about this beforehand as the recordings seem to be quite old).

[prémont]

Never heard of the artist [Zuzana Ruzickova] before and couldn't find much discussion about her - I am definitely interested in this set (assuming in comes down in price a bit after release).
So just posting here in the hope that someone may have heard some/all of these recordings and may be able to tell me a bit more about them.

I have owned her Erato WTC and also the four CDs in the TelDec big Bach box with the inventions and other smaller keyboard works.

She plays on equally tuned revival harpsichords (Neupert, Ammer). Her style is oldfashioned (1950s style) and she is lacking the brilliant colourfulness which makes Kirkpatrick's recordings attractive to day, and there is no sense of the determined urgency we find with Walcha, and her playing is generally less expressive than the playing of these two. I tend to find her boring and have not explored her recordings further.

Mandryka wrote here.

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg993974.html#msg993974

about her second recording of the WTC, a description which (except for the use of a period instrument) IMO might have been a description of her older Erato recording. André and I responded to Mandryka's post later in the thread.

[Autumn Leaves]

I have owned her Erato WTC and also the four CDs in the TelDec big Bach box with the inventions and other smaller keyboard works.

She plays on equally tuned revival harpsichords (Neupert, Ammer). Her style is oldfashioned (1950s style) and she is lacking the brilliant colourfulness which makes Kirkpatrick's recordings attractive to day, and there is no sense of the determined urgency we find with Walcha, and her playing is generally less expressive than the playing of these two. I tend to find her boring and have not explored her recordings further.

Mandryka wrote here.

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg993974.html#msg993974

about her second recording of the WTC, a description which (except for the use of a period instrument) IMO might have been a description of her older Erato recording. André and I responded to Mandryka's post later in the thread.

Good stuff - thanks for your comments!.
Have had overnight to think about it some more and Im not so sure I will be purchasing this set after all - don't think I want to pick up 20 Discs of Harpsichord recordings which are a bit old-fashioned (and most importantly I think the sound quality wont be up to modern standards either) so Ill probably give it a miss.
Its a shame as I don't know of any other boxes of Bach's complete keyboard works played on the Harpsichord.

[North Star]

Good stuff - thanks for your comments!.
Have had overnight to think about it some more and Im not so sure I will be purchasing this set after all - don't think I want to pick up 20 Discs of Harpsichord recordings which are a bit old-fashioned (and most importantly I think the sound quality wont be up to modern standards either) so Ill probably give it a miss.
Its a shame as I don't know of any other boxes of Bach's complete keyboard works played on the Harpsichord.

There's this set on Brilliant. I don't know the recordings myself. How much of the repertoire do you have on disc now, Conor?

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