Bach French Suites

[SergeCpp]

Threads on Bach Keyboard Music.

• Bach Partitas
• Bach English Suites
• Bach French Suites — This thread.
• Bach Toccatas
• Bach Goldberg Variations
• Bach Well-Tempered Clavier
• Bach Well-Tempered Clavier — Second thread.
• Bach Well-Tempered Clavier and Art Of Fugue
• Bach Art Of Fugue
• Bach Art Of Fugue — Second thread.
• Favorite Bach Keyboard Music
• Favorite Bach Keyboard Music — Advanced Poll
• English Suites vs French Suites
• Partitas and English Suites on Harpsichord or Clavichord
• English Suites on Piano
• Goldberg Variations on Piano
• Bach on Harpsichord, Lute-Harpsichord, Clavichord
• Bach on Piano
• Bach on Piano?
• Preferred Bach Pianist
• Angela Hewitt for playing Bach on Piano
• Gianluca Luisi: Partitas (Piano)
• Glenn Gould: English Suites (Piano)
• Andras Schiff: French Suites (Piano)
• Glenn Gould: Goldberg Variations (1955, Piano)
• Angela Hewitt: Well-Tempered Clavier (Piano)
• Pierre Laurent Aimard: Art Of Fugue (Piano)
• Toccata BWV 914 (Harpsichord) — blind comparison
• To be completed... (Please point me to threads I've missed to add here.)

* * *

My suggestions (my personal top list).

Harpsichord

• Pieter-Jan Belder (2006)
• Blandine Rannou (2001)
• Masaaki Suzuki (1999-2001)
• Christophe Rousset (2004)
• Keith Jarrett (1991)
• David Cates (2001)

Piano

• Evgeni Koroliov (2006)
• Edward Aldwell (1999)
• Angela Hewitt (1995)
• Andras Schiff (1991)
• Wolfgang Rubsam (1994)
• Bernard Roberts (2004)

* * *



Bach French Suites — Pieter-Jan Belder (Harpsichord)

Recorded: 2006.
Total: 1:39:33.




Bach French Suites — Edward Aldwell (Piano)

Recorded: 1997.
Total: 1:33:21.

//

[Mandryka]

Has anyone heard Rübsam's new one? (I'm waiting for it to appear on Qobuz - because I'm mean!)

[milk]

Has anyone heard Rübsam's new one? (I'm waiting for it to appear on Qobuz - because I'm mean!)

I forgot about that. I think it's not on Amazon yet.

[milk]

Bradley Brookshire. I haven't listened to this in a while. It used to be one of my favorites.


Van Asperen: I love this instrument and his "vibe."
French Suites can be really trippy. These recordings seem like afternoon listening. Brookshire is really intense though, while Van Asperen...I can't remember how it comes off but I have to get back to it as I remember loving it.

[MusicTurner]

I only have a few recordings of these works, but Gavrilov/EMI (piano) would really be my desert-island choice & it's more or less enough for me.
Btw the budget twofer also has Bunin in some further Bach works, likewise good.

[SergeCpp]

Two quite interesting recordins of my recent discoveries.



Bach French Suites — Francesco Cera (Harpsichord)

Recorded: 2008.
Suites: 18:06, 17:29, 18:07, 16:37, 20:25, 16:29.
Total: 1:47:38.




Bach French Suites — Monica Leone (Piano) [ Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 ]

Recorded: 2004.
Suites: 15:43, 15:07, 17:27, 13:14, 17:05, 16:52.
Total: 1:36:07.

//

[Mandryka]

The Cera is very strange because it's so different from his other recordings! It's a few years since I heard it last, but I remember blowing hot and cold, sometimes it sounds like the most wonderful performance in the universe, other times it sounds unnatural, with random rubato.

On harpsichord the recordings which have proved the most consistently rewarding for me are the most plain speaking ones -- direct and simple in their expression. Mario Videla recorded all of them. Unfortunately I've never been able to get hold of the recording, but I very much like what he does in his Haenssler recording of the Clavier-Buchlein fur Anna Magdalena Bach, where there are five French suites.  And I like Koopman's CD too. I have a feeling that the new Rubsam will blow all the competition out of the water, but as I said, I'm too mean to part with the dosh. It won't be plain speaking though!

[aukhawk]

On piano Joanna MacGregor is my favourite, for the French Suites.

For the OP, there is also this:
Toccata BWV 914 (harpsichord) - blind comparison

[SergeCpp]

For the OP, there is also this:
Toccata BWV 914 (harpsichord) - blind comparison

aukhawk, thank you! Added.

* * *



Bach French Suites (with Preludes) — David Cates (Harpsichord)

Recorded: 2001.
Total: 1:35:29 (with Preludes) / 1:24:52 (without Preludes).




Bach French Suites — Bernard Roberts (Piano)

Recorded: 2004.
Total: 1:35:09.

//

[prémont]

Well, my suggestions for the French suites (in no particular order):

Pieter Jan Belder
Ton Koopman
Kenneth Gilbert
Olivier Beaumont
Alan Curtis
David Moroney
Colin Tilney (clavichord)

I have not yet heard Rübsam's lute harpsichord version.

[milk]

Two quite interesting recordins of my recent discoveries.



Bach French Suites — Francesco Cera (Harpsichord)

Recorded: 2008.
Suites: 18:06, 17:29, 18:07, 16:37, 20:25, 16:29.
Total: 1:47:38.




Bach French Suites — Monica Leone (Piano) [ Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 ]

Recorded: 2004.
Suites: 15:43, 15:07, 17:27, 13:14, 17:05, 16:52.
Total: 1:36:07.

//

that Leone one is an odd duck. I tried listening to it today. Maybe I'll try again some day. She seems like she makes odd choices. And sometimes she seems like she's practicing.

[SergeCpp]

Stored thread with lost messages: http://archive.md/KxoOH

[milk]

Years ago I read some bad reviews about this series; it's Bach on the lute-harpsichord. I recall listening to a little of it and moving on. I was searching around this morning and came across it so I gave it a go. It's definitely not the adventure that Rubsam is but I do like the sound of the instrument. There seems to be more variation in the registers, more twang and a much thicker bass sound. So, Paul takes things slow though, again, not as slow as Rubsam. Really there's not much comparison between the two but I just mention Rubsam because he goes for the Lute-harpsichord as well. Paul is more conservative though there is rubato. The volume I'm listening to mixes selections from both the French suites and Partitas. I'm hearing more rubato on the partitas. I think this recording is worth hearing. The clarity of voices is really enjoyable and I think there's much more going on than was reflected in some of the reviews. Once I started listening, I couldn't stop.

[milk]

I think this is quite good. First of all she plays a really wonderful sounding instrument, a copy of a 1702 Mietke. This just sounds phenomenal. She has a great touch with her ornamentations and a she produces a very energetic and buoyant performance.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Bradley Brookshire. I haven't listened to this in a while. It used to be one of my favorites.


Van Asperen: I love this instrument and his "vibe."
French Suites can be really trippy. These recordings seem like afternoon listening. Brookshire is really intense though, while Van Asperen...I can't remember how it comes off but I have to get back to it as I remember loving it.

Did BVA lower the tuning? I like the album.

[Mandryka]

Did BVA lower the tuning?

Yes

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Well, my suggestions for the French suites (in no particular order):

Pieter Jan Belder
Ton Koopman
Kenneth Gilbert
Olivier Beaumont
Alan Curtis
David Moroney
Colin Tilney (clavichord)

I have not yet heard Rübsam's lute harpsichord version.

Leonhardt?

[Mandryka]

Leonhardt?

Francesco Cera?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Francesco Cera?

I can see that Nouvelle Vague hipsters like it.

[vers la flamme]

Bob van Asperen's French Suites still features one of the very best harpsichord sounds I've ever heard in my life. I don't know what it is about it, but it sounds fucking phenomenal! Too bad it's impossible to find on CD.