Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier

[milk]

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

I think I have all the great ones maybe (Wilson, Gilbert, Leonhardt, Feinberg, Fischer, Demus, Crossland, Woodward, Watchorn). I don't know if it's compulsiveness or a sincere desire to see where else the music could go. Probably the former. WTC is like the sun and the rain. Funny, I know a local harpsichordist in Osaka who gives Bach concerts all the time and never plays any WTC. Or AOF...How can you be a Bach lover and keyboard player without them?

[Mandryka]

I think I have all the great ones maybe (Wilson, Gilbert, Leonhardt, Feinberg, Fischer, Demus, Crossland, Woodward, Watchorn).

Maybe think of adding Asperen, Egarr, Weiss,  possibly Verlet.

[milk]

Maybe think of adding Asperen, Egarr, Weiss,  possibly Verlet.

Weiss is kind of new for me. What is special about Weiss? I watched a video performance of his and it seems good. But I couldn't form enough of an opinion to want to buy it. Egarr...mixed reviews of Egarr? I'm listening to Sergio Vartolo's AOF at the moment and wondering why he hasn't done WTC. I guess it's quite a commitment and one needs a bit of support to go through it. How do you feel about Watchorn?

[Mandryka]

Weiss is kind of new for me. What is special about Weiss? I watched a video performance of his and it seems good. But I couldn't form enough of an opinion to want to buy it. Egarr...mixed reviews of Egarr? I'm listening to Sergio Vartolo's AOF at the moment and wondering why he hasn't done WTC. I guess it's quite a commitment and one needs a bit of support to go through it. How do you feel about Watchorn?

I wrote some comments on Weiss somewhere on on GMG. Rather poetic comments if I remember right. Probably embarrassing to see them again.

Egarr is good, very good. Again I'm sure I've made some more detailed comments about it somewhere on this website.

Watchorn is clunky.

[milk]

I got a hold of some of Koroliov's WTC (mostly I). This is really sensitive and beautiful stuff. His e minor and f minor preludes are really serene and almost chilling. I actually ended up having problems with Shehori. Somehow I expected Shehori to be more like this. I'm not a pianist but I wonder if the F major is particularly difficult to play. Shehori simply sounds like he can't quite do it. I know that's got to be untrue. But it sounds like a mess. Anyway, Shehori probably has his moments but overall doesn't impress me like Koroliov.

[milk]

I wrote some comments on Weiss somewhere on on GMG. Rather poetic comments if I remember right. Probably embarrassing to see them again.

Egarr is good, very good. Again I'm sure I've made some more detailed comments about it somewhere on this website.

Watchorn is clunky.

I should check these out. My reservations came from this comment by Bulldog, "Egarr is not highly nuanced." But that's just one opinion. I'll try to look up the Weiss comments. I know I have too much WTC (if it's possible). I'm interested in anything that stands out though.

[Mandryka]

"Egarr is not highly nuanced.

This is not correct.

[bluto32]

I have Richter (Salzburg recording), Ashkenazy, Desenclos (organ) and enjoy all three enormously. If I could keep only one, it would be Richter: it has a real atmosphere that is hard to describe. I bought the 2009 Sony remasterings - see reply 1105 on page 56 of this thread - and am happy enough with the sound quality. I've toyed with the idea of acquiring another WTC set, but haven't yet found any clips I like more than what I already have...

Bluto

[Jo498]

If you think you might like different instruments try one volume of Levin's on Hänssler who uses harpsichord, clavichord, organ and in the second book also fortepiano. (Chorzempa did a similar thing earlier but his recording is not easy to find.)

[milk]

If you think you might like different instruments try one volume of Levin's on Hänssler who uses harpsichord, clavichord, organ and in the second book also fortepiano. (Chorzempa did a similar thing earlier but his recording is not easy to find.)

This Levin recording is one of the first ones I owned. I got into Bach late in life. The first recording one falls in love with is always special, no? So, I have a special fondness for Levin. He's vigorous. His panoply of instruments keep it entertaining and fresh and creative. It's a festival for the ear. I wish I could score the Chorzempa. 

[bioluminescentsquid]

This Levin recording is one of the first ones I owned. I got into Bach late in life. The first recording one falls in love with is always special, no? So, I have a special fondness for Levin. He's vigorous. His panoply of instruments keep it entertaining and fresh and creative. It's a festival for the ear. I wish I could score the Chorzempa.

Speaking of Bach on Fortepianos, what do you make of Genzoh Takehisa's recordings on Silbermann Fortepianos?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqcaJ0k2cHU
He also made a CD.

My impression from the videos (which are live) are just "crash, crash, crash" with not much in between, but the CD's sound interesting. Quite a shame they're hard to get outside of Japan.


By the way, to be more on-topic, I found that he also made a WTC recording on harpsichord (here, a Zell copy) and Fortepiano (Silbermann again).
http://www.kojimarokuon.com/disc/ALCD1165.html

Really, this label could have lots of promising stuff on it, if you have enough patience to navigate the poorly designed Japanese website. But I haven't found much that intruiged me save for T. Wantanabe's Sweelinck on it.
http://www.kojimarokuon.com/releaseinfo.html

[Que]

Any takers on Christophe Rousset's WTC?

One of the most significant (and surprising) new cycles around IMO...

[asin]B01B7PALKU[/asin]

[asin]B00F0TQPNC[/asin]

Q

[Mandryka]

Speaking of Bach on Fortepianos, what do you make of Genzoh Takehisa's recordings on Silbermann Fortepianos?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqcaJ0k2cHU
He also made a CD.

My impression from the videos (which are live) are just "crash, crash, crash" with not much in between, but the CD's sound interesting. Quite a shame they're hard to get outside of Japan.


By the way, to be more on-topic, I found that he also made a WTC recording on harpsichord (here, a Zell copy) and Fortepiano (Silbermann again).
http://www.kojimarokuon.com/disc/ALCD1165.html

Really, this label could have lots of promising stuff on it, if you have enough patience to navigate the poorly designed Japanese website. But I haven't found much that intruiged me save for T. Wantanabe's Sweelinck on it.
http://www.kojimarokuon.com/releaseinfo.html

Genzoh Takehisa's doing Bk 2 of WTC on piano, Bk 1 on harpsichord. He seems to have only recorded a bit from each book.

[milk]

Speaking of Bach on Fortepianos, what do you make of Genzoh Takehisa's recordings on Silbermann Fortepianos?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqcaJ0k2cHU
He also made a CD.

My impression from the videos (which are live) are just "crash, crash, crash" with not much in between, but the CD's sound interesting. Quite a shame they're hard to get outside of Japan.


By the way, to be more on-topic, I found that he also made a WTC recording on harpsichord (here, a Zell copy) and Fortepiano (Silbermann again).
http://www.kojimarokuon.com/disc/ALCD1165.html

Really, this label could have lots of promising stuff on it, if you have enough patience to navigate the poorly designed Japanese website. But I haven't found much that intruiged me save for T. Wantanabe's Sweelinck on it.
http://www.kojimarokuon.com/releaseinfo.html

I see his partitas on Silbermann on itunes. I did not know this guy. Hmmm...I wonder...The samples sound intriguing. I think I shall purchase this. He also seems to take things slow. I'm too curious. I can't resist.

[Mandryka]

Any takers on Christophe Rousset's WTC?

One of the most significant (and surprising) new cycles around IMO...

[asin]B01B7PALKU[/asin]

[asin]B00F0TQPNC[/asin]

Q

Why surprising?

[milk]

Any takers on Christophe Rousset's WTC?

One of the most significant (and surprising) new cycles around IMO...

[asin]B01B7PALKU[/asin]

[asin]B00F0TQPNC[/asin]

Q

You know, I can't resist this either. The samples do sound very exuberant. And the instrument also is attractive. OK. My last purchase of the month!!!!! Postscript: why did I not see this recording before? Rousset is muscular, grand, poetic, dramatic...I'm just up to the 7th in B1 but I think this will be a favorite. Let's see what he does with BII. 

[bioluminescentsquid]

Genzoh Takehisa's doing Bk 2 of WTC on piano, Bk 1 on harpsichord. He seems to have only recorded a bit from each book.

I just listened to samples, and it's marvelously quirky. The c-major prelude sounds like some kind of toccata from Kapsberger on a lute. Interesting, and playful tempo choices.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Any takers on Christophe Rousset's WTC?

One of the most significant (and surprising) new cycles around IMO...

[asin]B01B7PALKU[/asin]

[asin]B00F0TQPNC[/asin]

Q

I purchased them immediately after the releases. Great performance.

[Mandryka]

Any takers on Christophe Rousset's WTC?

[asin]B00F0TQPNC[/asin]


Q

No fancy stuff. Extraordinarily ordinary. The quintessence of ordinariness. He makes me think of Gulda's Beethoven.

Good sound engineering, nice instrument.

[bioluminescentsquid]

No fancy stuff. Extraordinarily ordinary. The quintessence of ordinariness. He makes me think of Gulda's Beethoven.

Good sound engineering, nice instrument.

Same. Beautiful Ruckers, great sound. Liked it, got bored, put it down. Too busy listening to Leonhardt, Rubsam, Asperen, and Verlet to ever pick it up again.