The Art of Fugue

[Que]

Some initial, tentative, thoughts about this interesting release. I may have misheard of course!

Rousset seems to play with little or no rubato or ornamentation. He mostly relies on instrumental colour and energy, speed, to enliven the music. The result is more a sequence of exercises in form and virtuosity than expressive poetry.

This seems to work better once you get past the simple fugues at the start.

I was quite underwhelmed by Rousset's as to expressivity restricted approach and don't think I shall return to this recording that often.

I'm not surprised: after being an amazing Bach interpreter, Rousset lost the plot some time ago... But I will still give it a listen. 

[JBS]

I suppose I'm the reverse of you three gentlemen. Your descriptions make it very tempting for me, although I haven't ordered it yet.

[prémont]

I suppose I'm the reverse of you three gentlemen. Your descriptions make it very tempting for me, although I haven't ordered it yet.

But don't come and say you weren't warned.

[AnotherSpin]

A necessary and sufficient illustration in the discussion of free will;)

By the way, I already tried to listen Rousset, was not impressed.

[Mandryka]

I'm not surprised: after being an amazing Bach interpreter, Rousset lost the plot some time ago... But I will still give it a listen. 

He's the archetypical educated bourgeois musician - everything he does is well considered and meticulously executed. What you don't have is a sense of him - his feelings in response to the music.

[prémont]

He's the archetypical educated bourgeois musician - everything he does is well considered and meticulously executed. What you don't have is a sense of him - his feelings in response to the music.

Yes, kind of AI performance, not unlike Gösta Funck's performance.

[Jo498]

IIRC the only Bach with Rousset I heard were the English suites and I found them too "brutal" and with lack of nuance.
Highly charged virtuoso performances (and admittedly, this fits some of this music quite well (unlike the AoF!)) but relentless, "one-sided" and thus rather tiring (partly also the fault of a rather aggressive harpsichord sound).

[AnotherSpin]

He's the archetypical educated bourgeois musician - everything he does is well considered and meticulously executed. What you don't have is a sense of him - his feelings in response to the music.

Not bad in itself. How many musicians have we heard who play themselves instead of music? With all their idiosyncrasies, etc, what they consider necessary to share with others. It seems to me that Rousset's problem is different, he just doesn't play excitingly this time.

[Mandryka]

Hakkinen in concert

[Mandryka]

Hakkinen in concert

I think it is excellent. I hope he finds the same inspiration for the forthcoming release. The channel has lots of interesting looking stuff.

[Mandryka]

Quatetto di Cremona, Art of Fugue, Wigmore Hall now. Couldn't get out of bed this morning, still feeling rough but proud of myself that I didn't miss it. If it's crap I'll leave early. It's full, much to my surprise - youngish too -  AoF is evidently in fashion.

What I learned from this is how wonderful an ending the unfinished fugue is. It really is a magical moment when the new theme enters, and the final notes were played by Quartetto de Cremona beautifully.

The whole thing, including all the canons, is undoubtedly a long haul concert, but nevertheless a very good experience IMO.

[Mandryka]

I feel rather inspired by the Gottfried Silbermann in Dresden today, largely through listening to Matthias Maierhoffer's new Art of Fugue, which I think is a fabulous recording. But the other discs recorded on the organ that I can find seem a bit less exciting, maybe Stefano Molardi doing late Bach chorales (very "cleanly", very "well behaved" - for "very" maybe substitute "too") seems like the best of the rest.

There's some other things mentioned on France org, but they haven't captured my imagination anywhere near as much as Maierhoffer. Am I missing anything?


https://france-orgue.fr/disque/index.php?zpg=dsq.fra.rch&org=&tit=&oeu=&ins=Dresden&cdo=1&dvo=1&vno=1&cmd=Rechercher&edi=

Back to the Maierhoffer AoF this morning - such a gorgeous organ! Such a shame he confined himself to the autograph version.

[Mandryka]

The actual clean copy (Version A), which is the only version both complete in itself and written entirely by Bach's hand, has so far not been edited retrospectively. The pianist Christian Kälberer mounted the re-write of The Art of Fugue (Version A) several years ago, the recording of which he now presents as a CD.


 Scholarly. Tasteful and stylish.  Imaginative for a piano player -- sometimes he doesn't get louder at the end of the fugue, but in the middle.  Austere and serious -- the style reminds me of Chorzempa WTC and Hidei Suzuki Cello Suites.

[prémont]

Scholarly. Tasteful and stylish.  Imaginative for a piano player -- sometimes he doesn't get louder at the end of the fugue, but in the middle.  Austere and serious -- the style reminds me of Chorzempa WTC and Hidei Suzuki Cello Suites.

Manuscript version using two CDs contrary to normally one. Very slow tempi. Rather neutral interpretation. It made me almost fall asleep.

[AnotherSpin]

The actual clean copy (Version A), which is the only version both complete in itself and written entirely by Bach's hand, has so far not been edited retrospectively. The pianist Christian Kälberer mounted the re-write of The Art of Fugue (Version A) several years ago, the recording of which he now presents as a CD.


 Scholarly. Tasteful and stylish.  Imaginative for a piano player -- sometimes he doesn't get louder at the end of the fugue, but in the middle.  Austere and serious -- the style reminds me of Chorzempa WTC and Hidei Suzuki Cello Suites.

After the shock of Christian Kälberer's Hammerklavier (yes, the first two minutes), I decided to test myself and started listening to his The Art of Fugue. Not bad at all, goes down easy. I'll have to try listening to Opus 106 again.

[Mandryka]

@AnotherSpin @prémont The combination of strict pulse and slow tempo is a bit of a challenge. He's maybe not interested if anyone actually listens. I've given up after 3 cpti.

[prémont]

@AnotherSpin @prémont The combination of strict pulse and slow tempo is a bit of a challenge. He's maybe not interested if anyone actually listens. I've given up after 3 cpti.

I got through all cpti two years ago - that was more than enough. Every time I see it I think of culling it. I have e.g. culled Cobra's recording which was even worse - believe it or not.

[prémont]

Someone seems to disagree:

BACH

 Jan-Peter Pudelek:

"Kälberers Klavierspiel ist von radikaler Scheinlosigkeit, wirkt im Vergleich zum perfektionierten Klavierdesign zeitgenössischen Klavierspiels zurückgenommen. Man denkt an die fragilen Krakel eines Cy Twombly, die in ihrer Irritibilität ein Bild erst als ästhetisches Kraftfeld (de-)chiffrieren – und sich, auf den zweiten Blick, als malerisch ausgearbeitete Gebilde erweisen. Jeder Ton wird auf seinen Stellenwert im kompositorischen Kontext geprüft und so individuell moduliert, dass er sich als belebtes Element von der Saite löst. Derart gelingt es Kälberer, auch im langsamsten Tempo Melodiebögen zu artikulieren, die Stimmen singen zu lassen. Wie er ihre Vielfalt gleichsam dirigierend moderiert, führt zu einer außergewöhnlichen Durchhörbarkeit der polyphonen Struktur nicht nur auf der unmittelbar kontrapunktischen Ebene des Ton gegen Ton, sondern auch auf der der satzbildenden Führung von Stimme gegen Stimme. Sein pianistisches Understatement, die disziplinierte Schlichtheit des Spiels im Verbund mit der Gleichmäßigkeit des Grundtempos und der strengen Ausrichtung der Dynamik an den Proportionen des Gesamtwerks ermöglichen es, aus dem fugalen Zusammen- und Gegenspiel der Stimmen heraus den Umschlag der thematischen Arbeit in diejenige mit den Ordnungen, in denen die verschiedenen Themengestalten stehen, hörbar, die Vergegenständlichung des Raums und der Zeit der Musik erfahrbar zu machen. Man darf seinem Weg durch die Kunst der Fuge in entspannter Aufmerksamkeit folgen, die Heraufkunft immer neuer Gestalten beobachten, um endlich die in der Kunst der Fuge auskomponierte Dimensionalität der Musik als Potenz des eigenen Hörens zu erfassen."

[Mandryka]

David Lively. Any thoughts about the order? He may talk about it in the booklet of course . . .

[prémont]

David Lively. Any thoughts about the order? He may talk about it in the booklet of course . . .

I quoted the booklet for you a few years back. His insights weren't particularly enlightening. His sequence of CPTI has always eluded me. I'm curious about the sequence he'll choose for his second recording.