Bach (and early keyboard music) on the Piano: thoughts

[Mattbod]

Hello again and thanks for your replies! I have the 48 only on the piano at the moment but will try to remedy that. As far as Bach's opinion on the piano is concerned, I thought there was only one source: a letter quoting him which one can read in the New Bach Reader (published by Norton). I would very much like to hear of his later praise. I will try to post the Youtube links again then. Here is Angela Hewitt playing the Bach Toccata in G Minor (BWV 915) on the piano and Karl Richter playing the same piece on a modern Neupert harpsichord (an instrument nearly as highly strung as a piano and one I am not fond of: lacks any warmth of tone). Notice that Angela Hewitt is abolutely correct when she says she can give bounce to the fugue in this piece on a piano when on the harpsichord it is, in her words: relentless..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eyr3J2sHw0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5JD-HejeWg

[ostuni]

I think it's very misleading to provide this Richter performance as an indicator of what is/isn't possible on the harpsichord. Yes, Richter's performance is relentless, dogged and, to me, utterly unrepresentative of what a suitably HIP player and historically-based instrument can give to this music. Richter was an important figure in Germany in the 1960s; some of his recordings still have fans today, though I'm afraid I'm certainly not one...

[Mattbod]

I think it's very misleading to provide this Richter performance as an indicator of what is/isn't possible on the harpsichord. Yes, Richter's performance is relentless, dogged and, to me, utterly unrepresentative of what a suitably HIP player and historically-based instrument can give to this music. Richter was an important figure in Germany in the 1960s; some of his recordings still have fans today, though I'm afraid I'm certainly not one...

Thanks for your reply and I think you are right in what you say about Richter. However by the very nature of the harpsichord you can't lighten the touch on the second and fourth beats as Angela says she does in the fugue to make it bounce along in the form of a gigue or jig. I have found this other performance by a chap who I have not heard of before on what is a much nicer sounding harpsichord (none of that awful ringing of the Neupert)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNSQA3s8wxg

[doversoul1]

Thanks for your reply and I think you are right in what you say about Richter. However by the very nature of the harpsichord you can't lighten the touch on the second and fourth beats as Angela says she does in the fugue to make it bounce along in the form of a gigue or jig. I have found this other performance by a chap who I have not heard of before on what is a much nicer sounding harpsichord (none of that awful ringing of the Neupert)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNSQA3s8wxg

Just a matter of interest, if it isn’t inappropriate (i.e. nothing personal). Apart from this chap I have never heard ofeither, out of many excellent harpsichordists who are currently active, whose performance are you thinking of to form your opinion?

[Mattbod]

I don't have an opinion really as it varies on the piece! I chose this particular piece as it is one Angela Hewitt says works best on the piano and I would have to agree. I chose those clips as they were the only ones I could find on Youtube. It all depends on the music really. I have Glenn Gould playing Byrd, Gibbons and Sweelinck on the piano and, fine, expressive player that he was, I don't think the pieces worked on the piano. Here is Byrd played in fiery Russian Romantic style by Solokov: very exciting but nothing like how it would be on a harpsichord (or virginal)

Byrd: the Battle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvWCuY_0gY

[BBMmk2]

Thanks for the clip, Mattbob! I have played that myself on piano and I don't see why not!

[Mattbod]

Glad you enjoyed it. If you do like early music played on the "joanna" get hold of Glenn Gould's Consort of Musicke" CD where he plays Byrd, Gibbons etc. It is beautifully played (on the Sony label I think)

[ahinton]

For anyone who needs convincing of the merits of Bach on the harpsichord, try and give Kenneth Gilbert's wonderful "48" a listen - this is how it should sound in my opinion! Sadly I think it may no longer be available, but here's a taster...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqMgC...xga4Q&index=33

And for anyone who needs convincing of the merits of Bach on a modern Steinway D, then the pianist to whom to turn - above all others, to my mind - is the late Yonty Solomon (that's if you can get hold of any tapes of broadcasts, of course!). Incomparable!

[Mattbod]

@ahinton: I will have to have a look for his recordings though classic recordings (CDs and tapes) are much harder to get hold of than second hand books it seems.

Here is little taste of Gould playing Gibbons: beautifully measured and ornamented:

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Very fond of the Hyperion Transcriptions Series; Nikolai Demidenko playing Busoni and Martin Roscoe playing Samuel Fienberg ... did any one hear Murray Perahia playing the Busoni Transcription of Nun freut euch, lieben Christen, BWV 734 this morning on Sarah W?

[gradus]

In the matter of keyboard instruments in Bach, it is come one come all as far as I am concerned. Landowska's recordings are still exciting to me and I very much enjoyed the harpsichordist's performance of the toccata posted earlier in the thread. Amongst modern pianists I think Anderszewski's recordings of some of the keyboard Partitas and English Suites are great work eg the sultry smouldering account of the Sarabande of the e minor Partita which employs the resources of the modern concert grand to great effect.

[Mattbod]

I would be interested to hear Murray playing that: what time was it on roughly? I will try to find it on iplayer.

@gradus: I agree with you about Landowska's playing but I hated the modern Playel harpsichord that she used. It has a horrible clanky tone. Compare it to the richness of tone of the copy of the 1628 Colmar Ruckers that Glen Wilson uses on his Buxtedhude and Sweelinck recitals on Naxos (phenomenal and only £5 each) and you will see what i mean! I am not really one for insisting on period copies except in the case of harpsichords!

[Sir Velo]

I used to prefer Bach on the piano but this recording of Richard Egarr of Bach solos for the keyboard stopped me in my tracks.



Mind blowingly good performance of the Italian Concerto inter alia. But don't just take my word for it...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bach-Harpsichord-Works-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B0000UYNYO/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1384282401&sr=1-7&keywords=bach+egarr

[BBMmk2]

Ah,I have Piers lane on Hyperion in vol.8 of the series. Amazing piano playing here.

[Mattbod]

Thanks for the recommendation Sir Velo and I love Bach on the harpsichord too. One of my favourite and most played discs is the Erato recording of Scott Ross playing the Italian Concerto and Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue by Bach. It is a low price disc and is probably the best £8 you will spend on a harpsichord disc. Scott Ross was a genius and died tragically (and sadly alone due to having no health insurance) of AIDS related pneumonia at home in France at only 38 years old. He did not have much time for Glenn Gould though. Here is a quote:

When I hear nutcases like Glenn Gould who do: [plays staccato version of J.S. Bach's Partita no. 1, BWV 825, Allemande], I say he understood nothing of Bach's music! I've listened carefully to his records: he didn't understand. He was very brilliant; I respect him up to a certain point. For me, the fact that an artist doesn't appear in public poses a problem. But at least he was a guy with the courage not to do things like other people. All the same, he was wide off the mark, so wide off the mark that you'd need a 747 to bring him back. I'm hard on Glenn Gould. Well, he's dead now, so I won't attack a colleague

Here is a youtube video of one of his master classes.

He was another tortured soul but a brilliant musician: here is the CD I mention on Amazon: go buy it and enjoy it in his memory! If you have £75 to spare you can also buy his recording of all 555 Scarlatti sonatas (it is on my Christmas list: 34 CDs)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/J-S-Bach-Italian-Concerto-Chromatic/dp/B000ZPHL1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384285863&sr=8-1&keywords=scott+ross+italian+concerto