Your Preferred Bach Pianist

[Bulldog]

You have 47 choices - pick any 10.  Select wisely.

My ten in no particular order:

Gould
Gulda
Vieru
Tureck
Koroliov
Sheppard
Crossland
Feinberg
Fellner
Woodward

[Scarpia]

Pogolerich! 



This recording of English Suite #3 earns him a spot on the list!

[MN Dave]

I haven't heard most of them [in Bach], so... 

[Marc]

I haven't heard most of them, so... 

Same here. I very rarely listen to Bach on the piano. It's worse enough already to listen to my own strumming.

Poor Sebastian.

Love me sublime
Mangle my mind
Do it in style
So we all know
Oh yeah.

With me, in style means: on the harpsichord.

Oh, btw, I enjoy Ivo Janssen playing Bach. But he's not on the list.

[DavidW]

I haven't heard most of them [in Bach], so... 

Same here because I'm not obsessed with performers, but was curious to see the results so I voted for Hewitt since I like her Bach.

[Bulldog]

Same here. I very rarely listen to Bach on the piano. It's worse enough already to listen to my own strumming.

Poor Sebastian.

Love me sublime
Mangle my mind
Do it in style
So we all know
Oh yeah.

With me, in style means: on the harpsichord.

I considered including harpsichordists but decided the list would be too long.  I'll do the harpsichord/clavichord group another time.

Just one vote for Craig Sheppard surprises me; I've heard only praise for his Bach.

[Todd]

No Schnabel?

[Marc]

I considered including harpsichordists but decided the list would be too long. I'll do the harpsichord/clavichord group another time.

Didn't mean to criticize, really. It's your poll, and to compare pianists and harpsichordists is comparing apples and pears, IMO.
Besides that: it would be very difficult to pick my fave harpsichordist, too. There are so many I haven't heard (yet).

[Verena]

Just one vote for Craig Sheppard surprises me; I've heard only praise for his Bach.

so far I haven't warmed to his Bach, but I have to relisten to it

[Verena]

Oh, I just noted that one of my absolute faves is missing from the list: Zhu Xiao-Mei. Love her Partitas and I'm very much looking forward to her forthcoming WTC 1 on Mirare. Deserves to be much more well-known.

[Bulldog]

Oh, I just noted that one of my absolute faves is missing from the list: Zhu Xiao-Mei. Love her Partitas and I'm very much looking forward to her forthcoming WTC 1 on Mirare. Deserves to be much more well-known.

Sorry, I totally forgot about putting her on the list.  I have her Goldbergs and WTC II; both are worthy efforts.

[Bulldog]

No Schnabel?

Right.  I just looked at the list, and he isn't there.

Seriously, I felt that if I included him for his bits and pieces on record, I would have been obliged to add many more pianists who did bits and pieces.

[Bulldog]

Didn't mean to criticize, really. It's your poll, and to compare pianists and harpsichordists is comparing apples and pears, IMO.

No problem, I didn't think of your post as being critical.

Personally, I think it's fine to compare pianists and harpsichordists for Bach's music:

Would you rather listen to Barenboim or Rousset playing Bach?  I'd go with Rousset, and the type of instrument used has nothing to do with my answer.

[Holden]

I could only find 6

Richter
Koroliov
Schepkin
Vieru
Feinberg
Dinnerstein

[Bulldog]

I could only find 6

Richter
Koroliov
Schepkin
Vieru
Feinberg
Dinnerstein

I pulled Schepkin out of my ten in order to include Vieru.  Both recorded exceptional WTC's, but I much prefer Vieru's Goldbergs to Schepkin's.

Dinnerstein's Goldbergs appeals to me greatly - superb use of rhythmic hesitations and wonderful virtuosity.

[Marc]

Personally, I think it's fine to compare pianists and harpsichordists for Bach's music:

Would you rather listen to Barenboim or Rousset playing Bach?  I'd go with Rousset, and the type of instrument used has nothing to do with my answer.

I do get your point. But in this particular case it does not work for me. IMO, it takes other and different skills to play these different instruments, and their sounds and effects are totally different, too.
If I would say: Rousset plays a more poignant Bach, then this could (also) be very well related to the fact that he plays a harpsichord instead of a piano. I even think that in this case the choice of instrument might say something about the musician, too, and the way he/she thinks Bach should be played. Don't get me wrong, though (just saying in case): I don't mean to say harpsichord is right and piano is wrong. I don't need another fight about that on a music board.

The same (or almost the same) with f.i. harpsichord and organ: sometimes a musician can be a better organist or vice versa, and in many cases the same piece sounds completely different at the other instrument.

For instance: let's compare three recordings of the Toccatas BWV 910-916. Kevin Bowyer plays them on the organ, Angela Hewitt on the piano, and Gustav Leonhardt on the harpsichord.

I could say in this case that Bowyer is my preferred Bach keyboard player, because he plays those pieces with the most different colours.
Second is Leonhardt, for being more poignant.
Third is Hewitt, for sounding the most romantic.
Would such a comparison be fair?

To me, I must admit that piano and harpsichord are totally different worlds. The sound of a harpsichord and the effect that it has on me almost comes closer to the sound of a lute, théorbe or chitaronne.

[Bulldog]

I do get your point. But in this particular case it does not work for me. IMO, it takes other and different skills to play these different instruments, and their sounds and effects are totally different, too.
If I would say: Rousset plays a more poignant Bach, then this could (also) be very well related to the fact that he plays a harpsichord instead of a piano. I even think that in this case the choice of instrument might say something about the musician, too, and the way he/she thinks Bach should be played. Don't get me wrong, though (just saying in case): I don't mean to say harpsichord is right and piano is wrong. I don't need another fight about that on a music board.

The same (or almost the same) with f.i. harpsichord and organ: sometimes a musician can be a better organist or vice versa, and in many cases the same piece sounds completely different at the other instrument.

For instance: let's compare three recordings of the Toccatas BWV 910-916. Kevin Bowyer plays them on the organ, Angela Hewitt on the piano, and Gustav Leonhardt on the harpsichord.

I could say in this case that Bowyer is my preferred Bach keyboard player, because he plays those pieces with the most different colours.
Second is Leonhardt, for being more poignant.
Third is Hewitt, for sounding the most romantic.
Would such a comparison be fair?

To me, I must admit that piano and harpsichord are totally different worlds. The sound of a harpsichord and the effect that it has on me almost comes closer to the sound of a lute, théorbe or chitaronne.

I do agree that the type of instrument used can have some significance.  For me, Keith Jarrett's Bach is a perfect example.  Jarrett plays a rounded and seamless Bach.  Given that the piano doesn't have as sharp a sound as the harpsichord, Jarrett's Bach/piano recordings are problematic for my tastes; his rounded contours are exacerbated through use of a piano.  When Jarrett plays a harpsichord, this effect is reduced.

[Brian]

I hate to post "didn't vote" answers in both of your threads, but I really do not listen to Bach very much at all. Four times so far in 2010, according to my listening log. There is one Bach album which I do love undyingly, however...

[Bulldog]

I hate to post "didn't vote" answers in both of your threads, but I really do not listen to Bach very much at all. Four times so far in 2010, according to my listening log.

You keep a listening log?  That sounds so unusual to me.  On the other hand, I keep a love-making log.

Just today, I've listened to Bach more than four times.  He gets at least 50% of my music time.

[Bulldog]

Pogolerich! 



This recording of English Suite #3 earns him a spot on the list!

I did consider including Pogorelich, but to my mind the recording of two Suites didn't cut it.  By the way, I bought the original Bach/Pogorelich disc way back when - it's quite good.