Bach's Inventions & Sinfonias

[cx]

1) What is your favorite recording?

I only have the sony Gould and have never felt a need to look further -- interested in others' preferences and any comparisons to Gould's recording.

2) Piano or Harpsichord?

3) What is your favorite Invention and/or Sinfonia?

I'm sure this is a tough (and perhaps useless "ranking") question, as I myself love them all, but I have always had the strongest affinity for the #2 invention and #2 sinfonia (C minor). I think this pair really shows what a great Melodist Bach was.

I come back to these works so often, more so than many other Bach keyboard works, despite many of them being (at least on the surface) less "complex", shorter, and less ambitious than many of his other works.

--CS

[Don]

I'll just restrict myself to harpsichord recordings.  My preferences:

Kenneth Gilbert/Harmonia Mundi
Gustav Leonhardt/Sony
Blandine Verlet/Naive
Masaaki Suzuki/BIS

The best I've heard is from Bob van Asperen on the Aeolus label.  This one has fantastic dialogue and state of the art sound.  The catalog number is 10034 [78:15].  The reason for the extended length is not any slowness on van Asperen's part; he includes an additional 12 short "exercises" that are most rewarding.

[Don]

On to piano versions:

Excellent ones include Koroliov/Hanssler, P. Serkin/RCA and the Gould that you own.  I don't think that either Hewitt or Schiff make the grade.

[Holden]

Another vote for Koroliov on Hannsler

[Sean]

I bought the Denon recording with a female harpsichordist about 17 years back, highly rated at the time but I forget who it was. Some of Bach's most peculiar musical thought for sure.

I first had a few on moog synthesizer with Walter Donaldson- great stuff, completely possessed.

[Don]

I bought the Denon recording with a female harpsichordist about 17 years back, highly rated at the time but I forget who it was. Some of Bach's most peculiar musical thought for sure.

I'll take the bite on this one - what's so peculiar about these pieces?

[Sean]

They are! They're well manic, trill infested, exuberant, terse, nothing like them, apart perhaps for the Orgelbuchlein pieces.

[Don]

They are! They're well manic, trill infested, exuberant, terse, nothing like them, apart perhaps for the Orgelbuchlein pieces.

Well, I'm not convinced.  I find them not very different from what I expect from Bach except that they are not among his most memorable keyboard works.

[Sean]

Well I find some of these pieces a little unusual, one of the sets is called fantasias anyway I guess, but I'd argue all Bach's keyboard music is a bit didactic.

[Don]

Well I find some of these pieces a little unusual, one of the sets is called fantasias anyway I guess, but I'd argue all Bach's keyboard music is a bit didactic.

One set is called Inventions, the other Sinfonias.  I've never heard either referred to as fantasias. 

[springrite]

I have 6 or 7 sets and the Gould remain my favorite. It is currently on a short list of recordings I am considering as the one recording I play for the fetus throughout the last 3 months of Vanessa's pregnancy (starting in Feb.2008).

[hornteacher]

Purists will cringe at this one but Janine Jansen has a great new CD out of all the two and three part inventions transcribed for string trio.  It's marvellous and really gives the music a new angle.

[Josquin des Prez]

Well, I'm not convinced.  I find them not very different from what I expect from Bach except that they are not among his most memorable keyboard works.

That's a general miss conception. Those miniatures are among his very best, perfect on a level with their bigger cousin, the WTC, at least in terms of inspiration and craft. The only reason why they seem like minor works is that they were designed to be mid grade teaching tools, so he keeps their difficulty in check.

As for recordings, Kenneth Gilbert is the one i listen to most of the times.

[Josquin des Prez]

nothing like them

Still struggling with Bach are we?

[Don]

That's a general miss conception. Those miniatures are among his very best, perfectly on a level with their bigger cousin, the WTC, at least in terms of inspiration and craft. The only reason why they seem like minor works is that they were designed to be mid grade teaching tools, so he keeps their difficulty in check.

Makes no difference to me that they were designed as teaching tools.  I just don't hear the very high level of inspiration or emotional breadth found in works such as the Goldbergs and WTC.

[Don]

Purists will cringe at this one but Janine Jansen has a great new CD out of all the two and three part inventions transcribed for string trio.  It's marvellous and really gives the music a new angle.

I've been looking at this disc at the local Borders where they have about 7 copies on the shelf.  Generally, I'm not a fan of strings taking over for keyboard.  However, your very favorable comments are noted and might give me the push to acquire the disc.  Also, Jansen is high on my list of violinists.

[Sean]

BWV.565 is one of the best Bach keyboard works, since it's probably not by him.

[Don]

BWV.565 is one of the best Bach keyboard works, since it's probably not by him.

Oh, I think it's by Bach.  There isn't any composer of his era who had the ability to write it.

What's with the left-handed compliment to Bach?  It sounds like you don't generally appreciate his music.

[Sean]

Some thoughts here from a couple of years back; don't worry though, I'm only being hypercritical, I certainly know all the major keyboard works well

http://www.good-music-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,6393.0.html

[head-case]

Makes no difference to me that they were designed as teaching tools.  I just don't hear the very high level of inspiration or emotional breadth found in works such as the Goldbergs and WTC.

That's sad for you.