Mahan Esfahani plays Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I

[kernelbogey]

Recorded in April at Wigmore Hall, Esfahani plays his own modern instrument created by a Finnish maker* whose name is not on the website.

I found the tone of the instrument very beautiful and listened to the whole of the performance.

A surprise was that at the end he returned to the C major prelude with which the work begins: utterly convincig.

*Sounds like Yuko Ulica

Edit: wrong hyperlink corrected

[BBMmk2]

Oh, this sounds interesting. May I intrude, and suggest my old boss’s recording of this work, Robert Costin. I think you’ll find the harpsichord to your taste here too.

[Tony Halstead]

Oh, this sounds interesting. May I intrude, and suggest my old boss’s recording of this work, Robert Costin. I think you’ll find the harpsichord to your taste here too.

Yes I heard some of those recordings at a friend's house just before last year's first lockdown.
Very fine! But it sounds like an organ (a good one), not a harpsichord or clavichord. Are there two Robert Costins, or did he record
the 48 twice?

[vinteuil]

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https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/js-bach-das-wohltemperirte-clavier

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[kernelbogey]

I have an off-air recording of Mahan playing the Goldberg Variations in Bath about four years ago - I had a ticket but was unwell and couldn't attend.

I know the work much better from piano recordings - Angela Hewitt was a favourite, now usurped (for me) by Beatrice Rana, whose interpretation is wonderful.

His Goldbergs really appealed to me. The performance was preceded by a dialogue between him and Tom Service, from which I learned (from Mahan) a great deal I didn't know about the structure of the work. (Of course TS had to keep shoving his own metaphorical ideas about the work into the conversation.)

ME seems to me a very thoughtful and engaging performer.

I shall find out about Robert Costin - thank you BBM.

[richardfinegold]

I have an off-air recording of Mahan playing the Goldberg Variations in Bath about four years ago - I had a ticket but was unwell and couldn't attend.

I know the work much better from piano recordings - Angela Hewitt was a favourite, now usurped (for me) by Beatrice Rana, whose interpretation is wonderful.

His Goldbergs really appealed to me. The performance was preceded by a dialogue between him and Tom Service, from which I learned (from Mahan) a great deal I didn't know about the structure of the work. (Of course TS had to keep shoving his own metaphorical ideas about the work into the conversation.)

ME seems to me a very thoughtful and engaging performer.

I shall find out about Robert Costin - thank you BBM.

He can be very opinionated, about many things. At least he isn't dull.

[kernelbogey]

He can be very opinionated, about many things. At least he isn't dull.

Apparently he calls his new instrument 'The Harpschord of the Future'!

[BBMmk2]

Yes I heard some of those recordings at a friend's house just before last year's first lockdown.
Very fine! But it sounds like an organ (a good one), not a harpsichord or clavichord. Are there two Robert Costins, or did he record
the 48 twice?

Yes, I forgot about that. Apologies. But indeed, it sounded very good. I remember being with him when was transcribing them and also with hh is assistant , having a great discussion, about the registrations and technical stuff.

As far as I know, there’s only one RC!

Vinteul, thank you for that link.

[Mandryka]

The introduction says that "well tempered" means that whatever key you play in it'll still sound in tune. Where did he get that idea from?

Esfahani is about to release the six keyboard partitas -- in a couple of weeks -- presumably using this new harpsichord.

[vinteuil]

The introduction says that "well tempered" means that whatever key you play in it'll still sound in tune. Where did he get that idea from?
.

.. well, wasn't that rather the point of the various 'good tempered' systems of tuning which were coming into being around then, and which Bach's 48 in a way celebrate by demonstrating the ability to play in all keys?

Me, I'm probably out of date now, but I think Werckmeister III works very well for this Bach -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werckmeister_temperament

https://academic.oup.com/em/article-abstract/7/2/236/392921?redirectedFrom=PDF

But see also -

http://users.telenet.be/broekaert-devriendt/Index.html

Bryn, I think, rather favours Bradley Lehman's 'squiggle theory'

http://journal.juilliard.edu/journal/ongoing-quest-bachs-temperament

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[Bryn]

.. well, wasn't that rather the point of the various 'good tempered' systems of tuning which were coming into being around then, and which Bach's 48 in a way celebrate by demonstrating the ability to play in all keys?

Me, I'm probably out of date now, but I think Werckmeister III works very well for this Bach -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werckmeister_temperament

https://academic.oup.com/em/article-abstract/7/2/236/392921?redirectedFrom=PDF

But see also -

http://users.telenet.be/broekaert-devriendt/Index.html

Bryn, I think, rather favours the 'squiggle theory'

http://journal.juilliard.edu/journal/ongoing-quest-bachs-temperament

.




.

What about Bradley Lehman's. as used by Egarr? http://www.larips.com/

[vinteuil]

What about Bradley Lehman's. as used by Egarr? http://www.larips.com/

wot I said



.

[Bryn]

wot I said



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Ah, but have you not noticed that I have mentioned previously that I wondered whether such an interpretation as Lehman's might only apply to Book 1. The 'squiggles do not, IIRC, reappear in Book 2, so might Bach not, by that time, have accepted an alternative well-temperament system?

[vinteuil]

Ah, but have you not noticed that I have mentioned previously that I wondered whether such an interpretation as Lehman's might only apply to Book 1. The 'squiggles do not, IIRC, reappear in Book 2, so might Bach not, by that time, have accepted an alternative well-temperament system?

... very happy to accept that.

Years ago I was involved with a major Early Music competition, and became great mates with our supplier of harpsichords. He said that the competitors wd often be very pertick'ler in their requests for temperament - rameau, vallotti, kirnberger, werkmeister, &c. He noticed that in rehearsals they didn't notice at all whether the instrument supplied happened to be in the temperament requested...


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[ardcarp]

He noticed that in rehearsals they didn't notice at all whether the instrument supplied happened to be in the temperament requested...

Probably discussed in the same way as fine wines.......