I don't think I've ever been so ambivalent about a performance of J.S. Bach's music. Initially I thought, What is this
Thelonious Monk does Bach? ;D It's clear after a few minutes that this young man has the chops but why the halt and rescue take? If it wasn't on clavichord his approach might actually be unbearable. It's certainly the antithesis of the performance I posted a few days ago of Partits No. 6. But, as András Schiff once said with regard to Bach interpretations, "because his compositions are so perfect he's the most generous of compossers". :D
Kanji Daito, piano
To me it sounds like a rather moving performance, this partita seems to work pretty well on clavichord.
I haven't heard the Schiff you posted, but one thing I might say is that in some respects, partita 6 is the antithesis of partita 1 - at least in the toccata that's the case I think. Partita 6 is a good one for a brilliant and fast harpsichord IMO.
The halting is a way of drawing the listener's attention to the note or phrase which follows the pause. It can also bring a feeling of being in the moment - music making in the moment, a whiff of the improvisatory. I've learned that, in one and the same performance, some people find the halting absolutely natural for the music, and others find it an intrusive and annoying ugly accretion - it is entirely a matter of taste. I'm ok with Kanji Deito's rubato I think.
Could this sort of rubato work on other keyboards like piano and organ and harpsichord? I don't see why not myself, why do you say it may be unbearable if it weren't clavichord?
Quote from: Mandryka on November 12, 2023, 11:43:14 AMCould this sort of rubato work on other keyboards like piano and organ and harpsichord? I don't see why not myself, why do you say it may be unbearable if it weren't clavichord?
It's charming on clavicord. I completely understand the dramatic draw of the halt but I don't think the young man has it perfected yet, gifted as he obviously is. On a modern piano, unless as I've referenced, it's a musician who does it without appearing to stop the momentum, it feels uncomfortable. Let's not forget that, essentially, the dance or the movement of the dance is the foundation of the partita. It should flow. If the halting stalls the apparent flow of the movement, to me it sounds labored and eccentric. I shouldn't be thinking during any movement, Gee, is he (or she) going to
make that note? I shouldn't be thinking about it at all! The joy should come out of the fluidity of the playing. But, hey, that's just my opinion. If you like the effect, wonderful. For me, the partita really comes alive with his playing of the third movement (the Sarabande is even played thoughtfulfully without that halting) and just gets better from there. The Gigue is splendid.