Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier

[milk]

It is no great leap or revelation to say that, in the end, Leonhardt is one recording no lover of WTC should be without (just listening to Leonhardt's B-flat from book II - what a dream! The prelude takes a strange turn! The fugue + Prelude is of a piece). Maybe some would quibble with the idea of an essential? I'm not sure what else would be on the list of essentials if we allow such a list. I guess Feinberg if one wants to run the gamut, or Fischer/Demus will stand in for Feinberg in a pinch. Actually, Demus should get more respect on his own. I have to say that Gilbert is full of life, joy, depth of feeling, decisiveness, etc.; he really expresses love of the music. The recording/instrument is also very pleasing. I would not hesitate to recommend Gilbert to people approaching the music for the first time.

[Jo498]

Demus was never on CD, was it? I have his Book 2 on LP but unfortunately I have not been able to play LPs for years (can't be bothered to restore the setup and get a pre-amp) and even the LPs were not so easy to find, as far as I remember.
Feinberg I cannot find on CDs in my price range either...

There were about five pretty good Austrian pianists born around 1930. Only one of them, Brendel, is still really famous and his discography bountiful. Then probably Gulda, but Badura-Skoda, Demus and Klien have all but vanished from the Radar and most of their recordings were/are not distributed all that well although Badura-Skoda and Demus were also pioneers of historical pianos.


(Edwin Fischer and S. Richter are fortunately WTC staples that were hardly ever out of the catalogue.)

[milk]

Demus was never on CD, was it? I have his Book 2 on LP but unfortunately I have not been able to play LPs for years (can't be bothered to restore the setup and get a pre-amp) and even the LPs were not so easy to find, as far as I remember.
Feinberg I cannot find on CDs in my price range either...

There were about five pretty good Austrian pianists born around 1930. Only one of them, Brendel, is still really famous and his discography bountiful. Then probably Gulda, but Badura-Skoda, Demus and Klien have all but vanished from the Radar and most of their recordings were/are not distributed all that well although Badura-Skoda and Demus were also pioneers of historical pianos.


(Edwin Fischer and S. Richter are fortunately WTC staples that were hardly ever out of the catalogue.)

Go to https://archive.org/ for all kinds of stuff. Demus is there - both books. Search "Demus Bach." I'm sure there's a treasure trove of all kinds of stuff from LP that never made it to the digital age. I believe Demus is nowhere to be found on CD. Did Badura-skoda record Bach? I have a great recording of him playing Debussy on an historical piano. Which Klein is that? It seems that Demus is most famous for his accompaniment on Lieder...Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau...I've never heard it. I have to say that the Demus concert I attended was so memorable. Well, it was profound. The only other concert I experienced that really blew me away was Masaaki Suzuki on the organ (here in Japan). 

[prémont]

There were about five pretty good Austrian pianists born around 1930. Only one of them, Brendel, is still really famous and his discography bountiful. Then probably Gulda, but Badura-Skoda, Demus and Klien have all but vanished from the Radar and most of their recordings were/are not distributed all that well although Badura-Skoda and Demus were also pioneers of historical pianos.

Yes, and many (including you) forget to add Ingrid Haebler to that list.

[milk]

Another performance of BWV 878, this time on a Silbermann fortepiano.  The original poster thought it was performed by Robert Levin, which is probably incorrect information.  If I were to venture a guess, this would be from Daniel Chorzempa's set for Philips (OOP) which also has a mixed instrumentarium consisting of chamber organs, harpsichords, clavichords and a fortepiano.

http://www.youtube.com/v/NKhkCkNVUVE

 

This peaks my interest. The performance here tickles my fancy. But it's not easy to find this one. Anyone have the complete set?

[prémont]

Did Badura-Skoda record Bach?

He recorded Bach's partitas twice:

1) on piano for Westminster 1951..

2) on harpsichord for Astrée 1987.

Neither of these recordings are mandatory, I think.

He also for Westminster recorded the concerto BWV 1053 and (with Jörg Demus 2.pianist, conductor Kurt Redel) concertos BWV 1060 and 1061 on piano about 1960.

There is also a Westminster recording (which I do not know) from the 1950es containing:

Toccata C minor, BWV 911,
Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971,
Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue D minor, BWV 903,
Concerto in D minor after Marcello, BWV 974

Badura-Skoda discography on his home page:

http://www.badura-skoda.cc/en/discography_1_b.html

[prémont]

This peaks my interest. The performance here tickles my fancy. But it's not easy to find this one. Anyone have the complete set?

Yes, I do. A rather good set. Particularly because of the items he plays on the clavichord. Interesting also to compare to the equally fine Levin set, their choice of instrument e.g.

[milk]

Yes, I do. A rather good set. Particularly because of the items he plays on the clavichord. Interesting also to compare to the equally fine Levin set, their choice of instrument e.g.

I like Levin a lot. He's sprite and no-fuss while pulling off some stunning performances. Have you ever heard of Joan Benson? ...on the clavichord?

[milk]

He recorded Bach's partitas twice:

1) on piano for Westminster 1951..

2) on harpsichord for Astrée 1987.

Neither of these recordings are mandatory, I think.

He also for Westminster recorded the concerto BWV 1053 and (with Jörg Demus 2.pianist, conductor Kurt Redel) concertos BWV 1060 and 1061 on piano about 1960.

There is also a Westminster recording (which I do not know) from the 1950es containing:

Toccata C minor, BWV 911,
Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971,
Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue D minor, BWV 903,
Concerto in D minor after Marcello, BWV 974

Badura-Skoda discography on his home page:

http://www.badura-skoda.cc/en/discography_1_b.html

I've yet to find a recoding of the partitas on piano that held my attention. Well, I suppose I should change forums. Maybe the bungalow. But I'm still interested in an outstanding piano recording of the partitas. Or maybe the clavichord. I know Troeger did it but I don't really get him.

[prémont]

I like Levin a lot. He's sprite and no-fuss while pulling off some stunning performances. Have you ever heard of Joan Benson? ...on the clavichord?

No, did she record the WTC?

Googling her I find that her main interests are C P E Bach, an interest I do not share that much.
Also her recordings are old and only a few have been released on CD.

[prémont]

I've yet to find a recoding of the partitas on piano that held my attention. Well, I suppose I should change forums. Maybe the bungalow. But I'm still interested in an outstanding piano recording of the partitas. Or maybe the clavichord. I know Troeger did it but I don't really get him.

Wim Winters may perhaps interest you;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE-0Ux1PYiU

Concerning piano versions of the partita's - try

Wolfgang Rübsam

Ivo Janssen

Virginia Black

if you haven't heard them already.

[milk]

Wim Winters may perhaps interest you;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE-0Ux1PYiU

Concerning piano versions of the partita's - try

Wolfgang Rübsam

Ivo Janssen

Virginia Black

if you haven't heard them already.

I have Rubsam. I will try it again. This Winters sounds great! Wow!

[PerfectWagnerite]

Anyone has a recommendation for a recording that uses the well tempered system that Bach had in mind?

[kishnevi]

Anyone has a recommendation for a recording that uses the well tempered system that Bach had in mind?

Has anyone other than Egarr made such a recording?
(leaving aside the question of whether the system he used is actually one Bach might have used)

[milk]

Has anyone other than Egarr made such a recording?
(leaving aside the question of whether the system he used is actually one Bach might have used)

maybe Watchorn

[PerfectWagnerite]

Has anyone other than Egarr made such a recording?
(leaving aside the question of whether the system he used is actually one Bach might have used)

What specifically is the system that Bach had in mind?

Also is there any recording that uses a particular well tempered system of Bach's time? Other than the Egarr as mentioned before?

I found this article awhile back that seems pretty informative.

http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~mrubinst/tuning/tuning.html

It does seem fairly obvious that if you use equal temperament other than the difference it pitch and technique the various keys seem rather pointless. Bach might as well have written them all in one key as he did in Art of Fugue.

[bioluminescentsquid]

What specifically is the system that Bach had in mind?

Also is there any recording that uses a particular well tempered system of Bach's time? Other than the Egarr as mentioned before?

I found this article awhile back that seems pretty informative.

http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~mrubinst/tuning/tuning.html

It does seem fairly obvious that if you use equal temperament other than the difference it pitch and technique the various keys seem rather pointless. Bach might as well have written them all in one key as he did in Art of Fugue.

Most HIP recordings typically use some sort of well temperament; I think Kirnberger III, Werckmeister, and Niedhardt are the popular ones.

[milk]

Anyone has a recommendation for a recording that uses the well tempered system that Bach had in mind?

I thought they didn't know exactly and people like Bradley Lehman have an educated guess or hypothesis?

[milk]

Do I need Parmentier's WTC? Or am I just itching to buy another one? I have so many...yet...what's one more? He's received a recommendation in this thread but no great attention. Anybody heard Cooper's WTC? Edit: now I'm seeing Don Satz's reviews...not full throated endorsements.

[prémont]

Do I need Parmentier's WTC? Or am I just itching to buy another one? I have so many...yet...what's one more? He's received a recommendation in this thread but no great attention. Anybody heard Cooper's WTC?

These two are not the first ones I would think of, better exists.