Bach on the piano

[milk]

Pompously written piece of hagiography from Bryce

The "groves of academe" indeed!

I wonder what people think of this

I have the exact opposite opinion to her's. I always think, "ah. This is Tureck's Bach." There's an irony to thinking you have a direct line: ends up sounding kind of "cultish." That's why I like it but definitely need a pallet cleanser.

[Mandryka]

I've never heard the BBC one. It looks harder to acquire. I have a hard time describing her style. It's not romantic in ways many other pre-hip people are. It's pianistic though. Sometimes she does some genuinely odd stuff. She's never dull though she seems kind of strict in a way, or, at least, single-minded. Some of her performances are truly touching.

I listened to the first few pieces in  the BBC one this afternoon, Bk 2. I thought the pieces were full of dynamic changes and changes in touch which, as far as I could see,  served no structural function. I don't think they made the music sound beautiful either.

[betterthanfine]

Have people been listening to this recent release yet?

[asin]B07LDCG9BM[/asin]

Gramophone selected it as recording of the month a little while ago, and I must say, it is absolutely gorgeous.

[milk]

Have people been listening to this recent release yet?

[asin]B07LDCG9BM[/asin]

Gramophone selected it as recording of the month a little while ago, and I must say, it is absolutely gorgeous.

thanks. I'm enjoying this so far.

[Leo K.]

I'm listening to this Schiff's WTC for the first time. I can't believe I'd totally ignored him before (and confused him with Periah too - another pianist I've somehow ignored). Is this his only recording of WTCI? This is magnificent. I mean, Schiff makes the music new again for me. He has an ingenious way of finding new melodic highlights, new shades of meaning and emotion. I don't know why I had totally ignored Schiff previously. I'm curious to go back and see how Schiff figured in those comparison reviews by Don Satz.

I've returned to Schiff's ECM account of both books again and can't get enough of them. They are so refreshing and lively, full of beautifully thought-out nuances of tone!

[bluto32]

Do you happen to have Schiff's earlier Decca recording, too? If so, how do the ECM and Decca recordings compare in terms of interpretation and sound quality?
I have only a couple of WTC (Richter and Ashkenazy) and am considering supplementing them with one of Schiff's.

Bluto

[Mandryka]

Do you happen to have Schiff's earlier Decca recording, too? If so, how do the ECM and Decca recordings compare in terms of interpretation and sound quality?

Bluto

The phrasing, touch and the way of bringing out inner details are different.

You can hear examples of his former and more recent approaches on YouTube and so decide which one you prefer.

The sound quality of both are absolutely fine, the ECM exceptionally. 

[Jo498]

I don't know either WTC but if you consider Schiff's Decca recording, the eloquence box with *all* of his ~1980s solo Decca Bach is dirt cheap (under EUR 20) from German amazon or jpc.

[milk]

Daniel-Ben Pienaar's recordings of both books of WTC are some of my favorites on piano. He really is imaginative and lively.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

I don't know either WTC but if you consider Schiff's Decca recording, the eloquence box with *all* of his ~1980s solo Decca Bach is dirt cheap (under EUR 20) from German amazon or jpc.

Alas, the Decca Schiff tends to be proper and stiff compared to the ECM remakes which are, without exception (albeit to different degrees) superior. Most especially so in the Partitas, I find.

[Mandryka]

Alas, the Decca Schiff tends to be proper and stiff compared to the ECM remakes which are, without exception (albeit to different degrees) superior. Most especially so in the Partitas, I find.

What I think I think is this - the first is modern-piano-istic. He plays with the the sort of phrasing and legato and melody voice/accompaniment conception that you might pick up in a regular music school geared teaching the kids how to play c18 and c19 music. I like the first set very much for its authenticity, I mean its truth to the instrument being used. I bet modern piano people will like it.

The second has more interrupting voices, more equality of the voices, a different portato (I wonder why), and is more incisively articulated.

I don't agree that the first WTC is stiff, I mean not in the sense of a rigid pulse, maybe there's some other sense of stiff. I don't know quite what you mean by proper, but it is serious.

I would hesitate to say that one is better than the other except in sound terms, and it's of course impossible to say which one anyone will enjoy more.

[Jo498]

I didn't want to recommend the Decca Schiff recordings, only point out that if one wants that Decca WTC it might be worth getting the whole box because it is so cheap. And as far as I recall many people likes his Suites better than the WTC.
I only have his recording of the English suites which are certainly not bad but not extraordinary either.

[jwinter]

Greetings.  Just wondering if anyone's heard this?  Seems like an awful lot of marketing hype ("most significant Bach recording since Gould," etc.), curious if it's actually worth checking out...

[prémont]

Greetings.  Just wondering if anyone's heard this?  Seems like an awful lot of marketing hype ("most significant Bach recording since Gould," etc.), curious if it's actually worth checking out...

Yes, I get that feeling too. On the other hand many posters (here and elsewhere) have spoken highly about it. I have decided to pass it by, but I am not a great fan of Bach on piano.

[bluto32]

Thanks for the opinions on Schiff's two WTC recordings; I'll check out his YouTube clips as suggested.

I've looked up the box set of Schiff's Bach on Amazon.de - it is indeed very good value. Sadly, it appears to have AMSI remastering which has had negative press in various reviews (one for this box set, and I also recall seeing AMSI getting panned elsewhere... a reissue of Karajan's 70s Beethoven symphonies if I recall correctly).

Bluto

[Mandryka]

Greetings.  Just wondering if anyone's heard this?  Seems like an awful lot of marketing hype ("most significant Bach recording since Gould," etc.), curious if it's actually worth checking out...

  He  has a distinctive touch, makes a distinctive sound. And the music he's chosen is not "standard" You can surely find examples of his style on YouTube.

[Jo498]

I have not heard Olafson but the comparison with Gould seems misleading because a lot of the disc are arrangements of organ, chamber, choral music. If one wants this kind of arrangements I'd rather go with Hewitt/hyperion or Tipo/EMI. Recordings of the a minor aria variata on piano (or any) are not exactly thick on the ground,  I think the only one on piano I have heard is Gould's.

As for AMSI: I cannot help there. I don't have more than two or three discs (not including the Schiff) with that dubious remastering and never noticed anything strange. I guess the old Decca issues are mostly findable as used copies cheaply.

[JBS]

Thanks for the opinions on Schiff's two WTC recordings; I'll check out his YouTube clips as suggested.

I've looked up the box set of Schiff's Bach on Amazon.de - it is indeed very good value. Sadly, it appears to have AMSI remastering which has had negative press in various reviews (one for this box set, and I also recall seeing AMSI getting panned elsewhere... a reissue of Karajan's 70s Beethoven symphonies if I recall correctly).

Bluto

I have that Schiff set, and some others that were also AMSI. My equipment is extremely low-end, but I can't say there was any discernible difference from nonAMSI stuff.

[JBS]

I have not heard Olafson but the comparison with Gould seems misleading because a lot of the disc are arrangements of organ, chamber, choral music. If one wants this kind of arrangements I'd rather go with Hewitt/hyperion or Tipo/EMI. Recordings of the a minor aria variata on piano (or any) are not exactly thick on the ground,  I think the only one on piano I have heard is Gould's.

Re the Aria variata; I vigorously suggest Hewitt's recording.

[Mandryka]

Re the Aria variata; I vigorously suggest Hewitt's recording.

Gilels recorded that too. As did Tureck and Samuel Feinberg.