Bach on the piano

[milk]

Strangely, I cannot find an image of Schaghajegh Nosrati's new Well Tempered Clavier recording but it's out today and I'm having a listen. I'm pretty much always ready to try a new one of these. I don't know what I think yet but the sound is good and she has a very clear and even touch. I wonder if she's a bit rigid though.

I can't detect anything special about this so far. Strange. She's recorded a lot of Bach, relatively. Huh.

[milk]

Attention everyone, something interesting's going on in this one. The counterpoint is almost non-chordal.  The tempos and the approach to pulse makes me think of Chorzempa. At times reflective, introspective. Focussing on 883 and 884.

I'm still listening to Hill and still enjoying his Bach. He's getting to be one of my favorites. I like is poise, subtlety, clarity. His Bach is not flashy; it's humble. But it warms me.

[Mandryka]

I'm still listening to Hill and still enjoying his Bach. He's getting to be one of my favorites. I like is poise, subtlety, clarity. His Bach is not flashy; it's humble. But it warms me.

It is really good. How could we have taken so long to appreciate it?!!!

[milk]

It is really good. How could we have taken so long to appreciate it?!!!

I skipped over it a long time ago. Maybe I wasn't ready for him before. I was too into mannerisms and flash. He's substance.

[Mandryka]

Have you heard Afanassiev's WTC2?

[milk]

Have you heard Afanassiev's WTC2?

I see I do have it in a playlist. I don't recall my impressions. I think I'll listen to it tonight or tomorrow. Let's see.

[Mandryka]

I see I do have it in a playlist. I don't recall my impressions. I think I'll listen to it tonight or tomorrow. Let's see.

You won't like it, because it's almost operatic. But it's lyrical and not uninteresting.

[milk]

You won't like it, because it's almost operatic. But it's lyrical and not uninteresting.

I need to cleanse my palate some way. He strikes me as a bit rigid sometimes. Not all the time through, I can hear the "operatic" in some places. Yeah, it might not be for me. It's definitely not the soft touch of Hill. That's ok but it's an adjustment. I fell in love with Hill and now I would like to jump to something else. ETA: Richter is a good palate cleanser.

[Mandryka]

I need to cleanse my palate some way. He strikes me as a bit rigid sometimes. Not all the time through, I can hear the "operatic" in some places. Yeah, it might not be for me. It's definitely not the soft touch of Hill. That's ok but it's an adjustment. I fell in love with Hill and now I would like to jump to something else. ETA: Richter is a good palate cleanser.

You have to get into the Afanassiev vibe. It's not enough to like Bach or Chopin or Schubert or whatever, you have to be open to what he is bringing. I guess they're all a bit like that, but it's more so with Afanassiev.  It has taken me like, 20 years of trying his stuff and rejecting it to get there.

[Mandryka]

Just a quick thing about Afanassiev. I think that some of his recordings are conceived as a whole - thats to say, he thinks about how to vary the effect of each track, how to create different moods, there's not a feeling of sameness. I noticed this in the Chopin mazurkas as well as WTC2.

[milk]

You have to get into the Afanassiev vibe. It's not enough to like Bach or Chopin or Schubert or whatever, you have to be open to what he is bringing. I guess they're all a bit like that, but it's more so with Afanassiev.  It has taken me like, 20 years of trying his stuff and rejecting it to get there.

I might not get there. Or maybe another day. Sometimes it's just not the right moment. At this time, I don't really like the sound of his piano and touch. To be fair, I've been on Hill's very delicate sensibilities recently so I have to get over that. Still, Afanassiev is already not really my thing.

[Mandryka]

At this time, I don't really like the sound of his piano and touch.

Big heavy sound. I can see it's not your sort of thing. Again I was really impressed last night by the way he makes WTC so varied.

[milk]

Big heavy sound. I can see it's not your sort of thing. Again I was really impressed last night by the way he makes WTC so varied.

I was listening to Woodward recently. He goes for a really ambient sound. I'm a sucker for that. But is there depth there? I can't tell yet. I think Peter Hill is now definitely one of my favorites on piano. I wonder what he'd do with the Art of the Fugue, or who is like him that has recorded it. I have to go back and re-research everything. I forget and it gives me a chance to give everything another chance.

[Mandryka]

I was listening to Woodward recently. He goes for a really ambient sound. I'm a sucker for that. But is there depth there? I can't tell yet. I think Peter Hill is now definitely one of my favorites on piano. I wonder what he'd do with the Art of the Fugue, or who is like him that has recorded it. I have to go back and re-research everything. I forget and it gives me a chance to give everything another chance.

The best thing, by far, I've heard from Woodward is this

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8035735--roger-woodward-in-concert

Peter Hill recorded the Goldbergs, the Diabelli Variations and lots of Messiaen.

[milk]

The best thing, by far, I've heard from Woodward is this

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8035735--roger-woodward-in-concert

Peter Hill recorded the Goldbergs, the Diabelli Variations and lots of Messiaen.

I'll check it out. On to another pianist: I'm wondering if you've hear this:

[staxomega]

I was listening to Woodward recently. He goes for a really ambient sound. I'm a sucker for that. But is there depth there? I can't tell yet. I think Peter Hill is now definitely one of my favorites on piano. I wonder what he'd do with the Art of the Fugue, or who is like him that has recorded it. I have to go back and re-research everything. I forget and it gives me a chance to give everything another chance.

I sent an email to Celestial about Woodward's WTC several years ago, they said he wanted it recorded in an old church and that was basically the sound of the venue we are hearing. 

I'll check it out. On to another pianist: I'm wondering if you've hear this:

I should refresh my memory on this, I seem to recall thinking that interpretation wise it was pretty analogous to Leonhardt's DHM recording of AoF except on piano.

[milk]

The best thing, by far, I've heard from Woodward is this

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8035735--roger-woodward-in-concert

Peter Hill recorded the Goldbergs, the Diabelli Variations and lots of Messiaen.

The Bach on this is especially great!

[Mandryka]

The Bach on this is especially great!

It's just that  the 6th partita made me prick up my ears. Much more pricking up than his studio recording of that partita. I think I posted somewhere here the booklet, written by the concert organiser. I can probably find it again.

[milk]

This is probably going to be redundant as all this has been gone over many times here and elsewhere but I'm forgetful and I'm just starting over to see what my impressions are.
Anyway, the problem with Woodward, for me, is counterpoint. I just thing there's too much much echo and distance to really hear the counterpoint. That my be part of his concept. So be it. I think with a pianist like Edward Aldwell, you do get more of a sense of it but, somehow, everything g just turns out too equal, too balanced. So, I guess I'll start listening to pianists with counterpoint in mind. It seems to me that anything can overwhelm it, dynamics, etc. or accentuate it to some pleasing effect.

[milk]

Gulda was extremely quirky, but not mainly in Bach, and more in his personality and public persona than in his actual playing. I admittedly have not heard his recordings on an electric? clavichord but remember that he also performed Viennese chanson style music under a pseudonym and on other occassions performed bare-naked. He was never as successful as a jazz player as in classical music, though.
His main Bach recording is the WTC (I have not heard his other Bach, a couple of suites and some shorter pieces I think). This was recorded extremely closely and drily (there are some new remasterings I don't know if they sound more pleasant or more extreme than the mid 1990s twofers). It's been a while that I heard it but I used to like it quite a bit. It is not as quirky as his persona and while somewhat percussive at times, the sound overall does not distract. I wouldn't call it lyrical, though. Overall it is more on the straightforward and "objective" side.

Listening to just a little bit today, after a long time, I find Gulda's piano charming. I think he pays attention to counterpoint and the dryness of the recording helps that sense. No, he's not lyrical. That's good. I'm going to listen to more. I'm interested in artist who accentuate the counterpoint and the internal drama, especially in the WTC and AOF.
ETA I have to admit the metronome-like rhythm is just too much to bear after a short while, especially when he drives at lightening speed.