Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier

[prémont]

What he's saying, I think, is that he's  following the score
If that's what he is doing, I think it's hard to imagine unintended deviations in alignment would make such good music! Of course he's chosen tempos, articulation etc so that's got a lot to do with why it works so well too I'm sure,

As I have written before, with due respect to Keith Hill I consider his idea to be rather fanciful, because I do not recall, that I ever have seen a hand written score with complete alignment of the parts. And the principle of introducing microdesynchronisations between the parts will in every case work well in Rübsam's hands. He does not need to adhere strictly to any given scheme, and in this case he also said himself, that he does not do it in the same way every time he is playing a piece. So score or not - it is Rübsam himself, who creates this original and fruitful realisation of the score.

[bioluminescentsquid]

Vartolo is a good place to start investigating, in Frescobaldi Capricci for example, Vartolo's Capricci are a very good thing to hear when Rubsam's latest AoF is fresh in your mind, in my experience, they complement each other nicely somehow.

Which Vartolo are you referring to? The one on tactus?

I just listened to his Goldberg variations, and it is also very much "horizontal" in the manner of Rubsam. Quite interesting. I think Rubsam made a Goldberg on the Lautenwerck that is going to be released soon.

[milk]

Which Vartolo are you referring to? The one on tactus?

I just listened to his Goldberg variations, and it is also very much "horizontal" in the manner of Rubsam. Quite interesting. I think Rubsam made a Goldberg on the Lautenwerck that is going to be released soon.

Indeed he responded on FB that this is the case - to be released on Naxos.

What he's saying, I think, is that he's  following the score

With Vartolo, he'd be one of the first to see it this way? Whatever the case is, it's a fascinating recording and discussion. Maybe it will take the Naxos release to get more publications musing about it.

I'm going to listen to more Vartolo today.

[Mandryka]

Actually I just looked at some of the manuscript of WTC, it's easy to find examples online, and keith Hill and Wolfgang Rübsam are right to say that the voices are slightly out of line. But I also looked at the manuscript of a Mozart piano sonata and that too seemed no more aligned than the Bach.

[prémont]

Quite interesting. I think Rubsam made a Goldberg on the Lautenwerck that is going to be released soon.

Yes, in august this year.

[prémont]

Actually I just looked at some of the manuscript of WTC, it's easy to find examples online, and keith Hill and Wolfgang Rübsam are right to say that the voices are slightly out of line. But I also looked at the manuscript of a Mozart piano sonata and that too seemed no more aligned than the Bach.

Yes, this is in principle what I just wrote above, and the reason why I find Hill's theory to be overinterpretation (read: free fancy).

[Mandryka]

Which Vartolo are you referring to? The one on tactus?

I just listened to his Goldberg variations, and it is also very much "horizontal" in the manner of Rubsam. Quite interesting. I think Rubsam made a Goldberg on the Lautenwerck that is going to be released soon.

Yes, the Tactus and Naxos are the same. It's really the Fredscobaldi that I was thinking of, it's a while since I heard his Bach.

Cera's French suits may also be a bit horizontal, I'm not sure. 

[prémont]

Yes, the Tactus and Naxos are the same. It's really the Fredscobaldi that I was thinking of..

Oh no, Vartolo recorded only the Fantasie Book I, Ricercari and Canzoni Francesi for Naxos, but these recordings were not released by Tactus. These works were recorded for Tactus by Francesco Tasini.

[Karl Henning]

Oh no, Vartolo recorded only the Fantasie Book I, Ricercari and Canzoni Francesi for Naxos, but these recordings were not released by Tactus. These works were recorded for Tactus by Francesco Tasini.

That is what I thought I remembered.

[Mandryka]

Céline Frisch, une habituée du Théâtre de la Ville, fondatrice de l'ensemble Café Zimmermann avec lequel elle a enregistré, entre autres, Les Concerts pour plusieurs instruments de Bach, continue d'élargir son énorme répertoire de Bach. Cinq ans après avoir donné au Théâtre des Abbesses le Premier Livre du Clavier bien tempéré (sorti sur disque en 2015 et couronné par un Diapason d'or, un Choc du Classica et d'un ffff de Télérama), elle donnera un choix de pièces du Second Livre dont elle est en train de terminer l'enregistrement intégral – qui devait être (sauf omission de notre part) son 23e album...   

I'm going to,try to get to the concert in June.

[Mandryka]

This WTC 2 was released as long ago as 1986 and reissued in 2013, but I hadn't noticed. It's often muscular and full of vitality.  She's a contrapuntalist, that's to say the complexity of the interrelationships among the voices matters very much in her interpretation, and she doesn't try to seduce is by highlighting one of the melodies in the mix. She's well aware of the variety of affects, and there are some moments of greater tenderness - modulo the overall tough approach. A tough approach, but not an intellectual one. Anne Gallot is never maudlin or mawkish. She's no doubt an interesting musician and I think this is worth catching.

[Que]

My interest was piqued by this new release you just posted (didn't know Frédéric Haas was still recording!):

Frédérick Haas Hemsch 1751 WTC 2

[Mandryka]

(didn't know Frédéric Haas was still recording!):

He also released a new Scarlatti CD last year, again using his Hemsch.

[milk]

I do like this recording by Pienaar. At least so far...there are places where I'm not convinced - here and there. But overall it's worthwhile having it. I compared it a bit with Afanassiev who gives am almost opposite reading. I was hoping for something different with Afanassiev's slow tempo...sometimes even slower than Watchorn. But I don't find Afanassiev very imaginative. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance. Maybe there are subtleties I missed. I would like to find a slow version on piano that will excite me. Afanassiev didn't quite do it for me.

[Mandryka]

. I would like to find a slow version on piano that will excite me. Afanassiev didn't quite do it for me.

Try Tureck (DG) and Nikolayeva,

[Mandryka]

My interest was piqued by this new release you just posted (didn't know Frédéric Haas was still recording!):

Haas plays up the lyrical, poetic side;  he has ordered the music in an attempt to make it work holistically. There's no sense of "respect-worthy great old complex contrapuntal monument", on the contrary there is a sense of personal expression of emotions.

[amw]

Try Tureck (DG) and Nikolayeva,

I'm not sure if Edwin Fischer counts as slow but he'd probably be my pick.

For fast versions, imo both Gieseking and Dominique Merlet > Pienaar.

[milk]

Try Tureck (DG) and Nikolayeva,

I forgot about Turek. She's always worth going back to.

[milk]

I'm not sure if Edwin Fischer counts as slow but he'd probably be my pick.

For fast versions, imo both Gieseking and Dominique Merlet > Pienaar.

I like Fischer. Feinberg is the piano version that's the most raucous and imaginative without being a bit baroque. I find it iresitable.

[milk]

Try Tureck (DG) and Nikolayeva,

I also momentarily forgot about Rubsam who really gives us something slow and special. I wonder if Vartolo will ever record WTC. Or did I miss it?