Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier

[prémont]

My first impression is that this is another mediocre and unchallenging offering from a well-known pianist - played without much rubato or special insight. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll try it again later.

In principle I do not collect piano versions of the WTC any more. I have been seriously disappointed too many times.

[milk]

In principle I do not collect piano versions of the WTC any more. I have been seriously disappointed too many times.

have you tried Lepauw? I'd be interested to get your impression. But, yes, I'm changing my current streaming service for something different and happy to jettison my Bach piano playlists. I feel I need to start from scratch. A lot of these piano sets get rave reviews, like Anderszewski.

[Mandryka]

My first impression is that this is another mediocre and unchallenging offering from a well-known pianist - played without much rubato or special insight. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll try it again later.

Strange stiff playing sometimes, in the opening prelude for example, generally when he plays slow it's a bit unvarying in the old pulse department. And when he plays fast he's just another bloody piano player playing Bach fast. You'd have to be a pianophile to enjoy this one I think.

He's a one trick pony. Diablelli variations being the trick. The rest is professional at best, often inclined to degenerate into reprehensible bad taste tweeness.

Still I'm not disappointed because I was expecting this sort of thing, I heard him play some WTC a couple of years ago.

Right, that's enough of that. Back to Karlheinz.

[prémont]

have you tried Lepauw? I'd be interested to get your impression. But, yes, I'm changing my current streaming service for something different and happy to jettison my Bach piano playlists. I feel I need to start from scratch. A lot of these piano sets get rave reviews, like Anderszewski.

Presto offers the first minute of all 96 pieces as clips, so I listened to these. It seems to be a thoughtful interpretation and maybe a bit overthought. First I liked his calm tempi, but as listening went forth I began to find the pace of many of the pieces severely dragging and depriving the music of its tension. Also his mannered agogoics felt unnatural in the long run. On the plus side is his modest dynamic excursions and a crystal clear part-playing and articulation and the fact, that he is able to play a real non-legato on the piano without without falling into the trap of playing Gouldian hyperstaccato. Lepauw's estetics seems to me clavichord related, and maybe his WTC might have made a better impact on a clavichord.

[milk]

Presto offers the first minute of all 96 pieces as clips, so I listened to these. It seems to be a thoughtful interpretation and maybe a bit overthought. First I liked his calm tempi, but as listening went forth I began to find the pace of many of the pieces severely dragging and depriving the music of its tension. Also his mannered agogoics felt unnatural in the long run. On the plus side is his modest dynamic excursions and a crystal clear part-playing and articulation and the fact, that he is able to play a real non-legato on the piano without without falling into the trap of playing Gouldian hyperstaccato. Lepauw's estetics seems to me clavichord related, and maybe his WTC might have made a better impact on a clavichord.

Yes, "overthought" is what I would guess Mandryka might think as well. I like his courage and daring but the effort maybe shows too much. I still like it.

[milk]

Lubimov is utterly charming on this "romantic" version of Bach. There are just a few pieces here from WTC. Chopin's parlor piano adds totally new insight with its bass notes sounding something like a double bass.

[amw]

It would be nice if Lubimov (or perhaps Schiff or Staier or Pashchenko) recorded the whole thing on a fortepiano of some variety, but I suppose such things are still Not Done unless it can be justified under the heading of some kind of concept album.

[milk]

It would be nice if Lubimov (or perhaps Schiff or Staier or Pashchenko) recorded the whole thing on a fortepiano of some variety, but I suppose such things are still Not Done unless it can be justified under the heading of some kind of concept album.

Genzoh Takehisa recorded BKII and the Partitas on a fortepiano. It's worth the effort to get ahold of these recordings.

[aukhawk]

Lubimov is utterly charming on this "romantic" version of Bach. There are just a few pieces here from WTC. Chopin's parlor piano adds totally new insight with its bass notes sounding something like a double bass.

OT but I also really like the Moonlight Sonata in that collection.  In the 3rd movement, Presto, the instrument woefully runs out of puff, to almost comic effect.  But the 1st and 2nd movements are sweet.

[milk]

Two recordings I came across that sound promising:

I listened to some of this and liked what I heard very much: there's creativity and vitality here and not a little bit of daring. But I bet it's the kind of thing that would drive some people crazy because there's so much attention to articulation of phrases.
I also came across this:

I like what I heard of this too. The instrument has some unique registrations that caught my attention although I need to hear more to form a better opinion of the playing.

[prémont]

Two recordings I came across that sound promising:

I listened to some of this and liked what I heard very much: there's creativity and vitality here and not a little bit of daring. But I bet it's the kind of thing that would drive some people crazy because there's so much attention to articulation of phrases.

Since the phrasing here is done with good taste, I find this recording interesting and innovative. And I do not feel, that any of her expressive means are pasted on the music.

[Mandryka]

Liksaite-Mrazkova also appears on Tuma's AoF, I think both of them are very attentive to phrasing - in fact I find Tuma's WTC phrasing less intense and in a way, I prefer it.

[milk]

Liksaite-Mrazkova also appears on Tuma's AoF, I think both of them are very attentive to phrasing - in fact I find Tuma's WTC phrasing less intense and in a way, I prefer it.

I have to listen again: both he and Tilney did books in clavichord (Tilney only Bk1). I think you like Tuma better? But Tilney is better than he gets credit for I think.

[Mandryka]

I have to listen again: both he and Tilney did books in clavichord (Tilney only Bk1). I think you like Tuma better? But Tilney is better than he gets credit for I think.

Haven't heard the Tilney Bk 1, or the Tuma Bk1

[milk]

I'm gonna keep beating this horse. I think this dude gets an unfairly bad rap. Give him another shot folks - particularly on his WTC. Yes, sometimes he feels stuck in the mud and sometimes he's a bit ponderous. But he has satisfying moments.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I'm gonna keep beating this horse. I think this dude gets an unfairly bad rap. Give him another shot folks - particularly on his WTC. Yes, sometimes he feels stuck in the mud and sometimes he's a bit ponderous. But he has satisfying moments.

Very good set. I like the label as well.

[milk]

I put this in the Shostakovich forum but I think it's worth copying over here in case anyone is interested in this. Here's what I posted:

I think this is a very unique and interesting recording I just discovered. Do you know this one? Mustonen plays a program of Bach's and Shostakovich's respective preludes and fugues. He intersperses the sets. I wonder if he did these live as well. He takes the tack of playing Bach more like Shostakovich rather than vice versa and it pretty much works. The way he plays Bach here ordinarily would annoy me. This much pianism in the hands of another could very well come across as tacky and crass. But somehow it works, by juxtaposition and even in the manner of a Feinberg if I can make such a lofty comparison. He's dynamically jagged, which could get on one's nerves in the Bach if he didn't switch over to Shostakovich. But his imagination shines through in both, by way of creative and energetic articulation, and makes this a winning effort.

[Mandryka]

I put this in the Shostakovich forum but I think it's worth copying over here in case anyone is interested in this. Here's what I posted:

I think this is a very unique and interesting recording I just discovered. Do you know this one? Mustonen plays a program of Bach's and Shostakovich's respective preludes and fugues. He intersperses the sets. I wonder if he did these live as well. He takes the tack of playing Bach more like Shostakovich rather than vice versa and it pretty much works. The way he plays Bach here ordinarily would annoy me. This much pianism in the hands of another could very well come across as tacky and crass. But somehow it works, by juxtaposition and even in the manner of a Feinberg if I can make such a lofty comparison. He's dynamically jagged, which could get on one's nerves in the Bach if he didn't switch over to Shostakovich. But his imagination shines through in both, by way of creative and energetic articulation, and makes this a winning effort.

Yes I used to play that a lot, and it's been nice to revisit it today, so thanks for the reminder. He's a bit like HJ Lim - I mean lots of imagination and freedom from convention, IMO both entertainers, Lim more so.

[milk]

Yes I used to play that a lot, and it's been nice to revisit it today, so thanks for the reminder. He's a bit like HJ Lim - I mean lots of imagination and freedom from convention, IMO both entertainers, Lim more so.

I think I saw the Lim on YouTube recently. If I'm thinking of the same thing. But I found it unbearable. Maybe I was being rash but it seemed unmusical.

[amw]

Lim (and Gould) are almost always unmusical; Mustonen (and Kawamura and Gulda) are almost always musically acceptable but a bit weird. I'm not sure what creates this dividing line for me or anyone else, since it's different for everyone (eg I would generally put Ernst Levy and John Khouri on the unmusical side, but many people have the exact opposite reaction)

I think it's possible to free yourself from convention without becoming completely self centered.