Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

As for the recording of Book 2 by Walcha, the recording sounds like skipping around 4-5th second in the No. 1: P and F. BWV 870. Sounds like the master tape was damaged. Is there any disk of the identical recording without the skip? I doubt, but am asking in case.

[milk]

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.

I agree about Gould. Kawamura is a Bach pianist? I have to look that one up. W/Khouri, we're talking about Chopin?

[amw]

I agree about Gould. Kawamura is a Bach pianist? I have to look that one up. W/Khouri, we're talking about Chopin?

No and no. I just meant pianists in general.

[Mandryka]

The problem is that "unmusical" can only be verified by analysing the source material. It's an essentially academic concept, not accessible through perception of the performance. It is also critical rather than hermeneutic. It part of an activity which asks:"How good is this performance?" and not "Does this performance make any sort of sense?" - I HATE criticism!

[prémont]

As for the recording of Book 2 by Walcha, the recording sounds like skipping around 4-5th second in the No. 1: P and F. BWV 870. Sounds like the master tape was damaged. Is there any disk of the identical recording without the skip? I doubt, but am asking in case.

The DG or the EMI? And which release?

[milk]

The problem is that "unmusical" can only be verified by analysing the source material. It's an essentially academic concept, not accessible through perception of the performance. It is also critical rather than hermeneutic. It part of an activity which asks:"How good is this performance?" and not "Does this performance make any sort of sense?" - I HATE criticism!

My reaction to Lim was, "why is she playing this way?" I don't really know the correct technical terms and I know I'm not very knowledgeable about music really. Kim's Bach just didn't make sense to me. I didn't feel it was serious about Bach's music; it seemed to be coming from somewhere else other than just Bach. But I don't know if I'm making sense either. Gould does seem to have thought a lot about Bach but I just can't stand his conclusions about it and I don't really understand why he plays that way either. Mustonen makes sense to me in the way Feinberg does. And with Shostakovich, it really seems coherent, if not always organic or serious.
I couldn't help feeling that Lim is for people that don't care much about Bach.
Gould offends me because in popular culture he's taken over a lane. I feel like, "this road doesn't belong to you. Move over and let some traffic through!"

[Mandryka]

My reaction to Lim was, "why is she playing this way?" I don't really know the correct technical terms and I know I'm not very knowledgeable about music really. Kim's Bach just didn't make sense to me. I didn't feel it was serious about Bach's music; it seemed to be coming from somewhere else other than just Bach. But I don't know if I'm making sense either. Gould does seem to have thought a lot about Bach but I just can't stand his conclusions about it and I don't really understand why he plays that way either. Mustonen makes sense to me in the way Feinberg does. And with Shostakovich, it really seems coherent, if not always organic or serious.
I couldn't help feeling that Lim is for people that don't care much about Bach.
Gould offends me because in popular culture he's taken over a lane. I feel like, "this road doesn't belong to you. Move over and let some traffic through!"

I think the performances which don't seem to make sense when you hear them are the most interesting performances, because they demand a leap of the imagination - if you rise to the challenge of making sense of it.

I couldn't help feeling that Lim is for people that don't care much about Bach.

Well they're interested enough in something which is in some way connected to Bach to listen to the performance. What more can you expect?

Gould offends me because in popular culture he's taken over a lane. I feel like, "this road doesn't belong to you. Move over and let some traffic through!"

That's true for the first Goldbergs, again IMO not a bad thing.

[milk]

I think the performances which don't seem to make sense when you hear them are the most interesting performances, because they demand a leap of the imagination - if you rise to the challenge of making sense of it.

I don't disagree. Lim just seemed sloppy and uninteresting. But I know what you mean.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The DG or the EMI? And which release?

Thank you for your response. I was talking about the album below, which sounds identical to the EMI recording, but I found that the BWV 870 in DG and EMI are just fine. I will buy the both. Thank you.

[Jo498]

I checked the big Walcha box (EMI/warner), that is my physical disc of WTC II,i and could not detect any problem. The sound quality is ca. 1960 and non-historical harpsichord, but taking this into account, comparably pleasant. It's still quite cheap and certainly worth it.

[asin]B071LRS4YS[/asin]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I checked the big Walcha box (EMI/warner), that is my physical disc of WTC II,i and could not detect any problem. The sound quality is ca. 1960 and non-historical harpsichord, but taking this into account, comparably pleasant. It's still quite cheap and certainly worth it.

[asin]B071LRS4YS[/asin]

I admire the recording!

[milk]

I'm not finding this revelatory. I'm not feeling like he has anything deep to say here, which is a disappointment.

[prémont]

I'm not finding this revelatory. I'm not feeling like he has anything deep to say here, which is a disappointment.

I have generally beeen disappointed by his recordings during the last years.

[Old San Antone]

I don't disagree. Lim just seemed sloppy and uninteresting. But I know what you mean.

If her Bach is anything like her Beethoven, your impression would be accurate.

[milk]

I can't say I really enjoy this kind of thing. I don't know why. I feel very distant from the music when it's made this way.

[Mandryka]

I can't say I really enjoy this kind of thing. I don't know why. I feel very distant from the music when it's made this way.

Yep, utterly uninteresting, Bach's keyboard music doesn't survive transcription.

[Old San Antone]

Yep, utterly uninteresting, Bach's keyboard music doesn't survive transcription.

I think there are a number of fine transcriptions of The Goldberg Variations and Art of Fugue.  Maybe the WTC is a different kind of work.

[milk]

Yep, utterly uninteresting, Bach's keyboard music doesn't survive transcription.

There's a review on musicweb that's just raving. The reviewer loves it. I wonder if there's a big market for it.

[Mandryka]

I think there are a number of fine transcriptions of The Goldberg Variations and Art of Fugue.  Maybe the WTC is a different kind of work.

I don't agree.

[Mandryka]

There's a review on musicweb that's just raving. The reviewer loves it. I wonder if there's a big market for it.

This is a recording for late candle-lit nights, your favourite slippers and a glass of something civilised, and you can't ask for much more than that.

It's a recording for pipe and slippers people.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pipe%20and%20Slippers