The Bach thread

[Keith_W]

Wayyy too much rubato in that Lang Lang performance. There's something about the guy's playing that irritates me. I came across a Youtube video that described him the best. He is an entertainer, not a musician.

 

[Matias]

Wayyy too much rubato in that Lang Lang performance. There's something about the guy's playing that irritates me. I came across a Youtube video that described him the best. He is an entertainer, not a musician.

Fair enough, but Lang Lang playing Beethoven was magnificent imo.

Back to Bach, there is Martin Stadtfeld which I knew from his album Bach Pur (2004) and have been recently listening to his newer work since then.

His Bach Pur album

 

[mSpot]

Leonhardt made other recordings of the BWV 1052 with Telefunken, Sony, and Pro Arte, but this particular one on SEON is the best version.

Seon was a short lived record label during the LP era. Over the decades, the recordings originally produced by Seon passed through ownership by different record labels and are now under Sony Classical, and generally available on all the streaming services.

Leonhardt also recorded for Seon my favorite set of Brandenburg Concertos, which was most recently in this 4-CD reissue (now out of print on CD, but available on streaming services). It is a collection of albums that includes the Leonhardt BWV 1052 Seon recording mentioned earlier. Vivarte is a sub-label of Sony Classical.

Leonhardt's solo cadenza in Brandenburg #5 is very special.

 

[Robin L]

A favorite version of Brandenburg Concerto # 5, Trevor Pinnock's second recording:

 

[mSpot]

Back to Bach, there is Martin Stadtfeld which I knew from his album Bach Pur (2004) and have been recently listening to his newer work since then.

Stadtfeld is playing his own arrangement of the Bach Chaconne, and it is very much his own creation. There have been transcriptions of the Chaconne from the original violin to piano (or other instruments), but Stadtfeld goes further and gives it a modern reinterpretation. I appreciate creativity and enjoyed it, but it is in a separate category from Bach's own music.

Here is Bach's original version for solo violin.

The most popular piano transcription is by Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) that takes advantage of the interpretive range of the modern piano, giving it more of a feeling of music from the Romantic period.

Brahms created a piano transcription for the left hand that retains more of a Baroque character. This is a video of Igor Levit from 10 years ago as a "New Generation Artist", before becoming the success that he is now.

 

[Matias]

Here is one I have just found. Marvelous. And she has a vast discography besides Bach.

 

[BolusOfDoom]

Like 996 and 997 it was probably written with the "lautenwerk" in mind, a keyboard instrument that sounded like a lute even if the manuscript says "for lute or cembal", so it is not really a transcription.

BWV 998 on a lautenwerck, a very rich sound:

 

[mSpot]

More on the harpsichord concerto in D minor BWV 1052...

The harpsichord part includes many violin style figurations, and musicologists have long speculated (since 1800's) that BWV 1052 may be a transcription from a violin concerto that has been lost. There have been multiple reconstructions as a violin concerto (even recordings by the great David Oistrakh). I like the recording by Isabelle Faust (and this entire album is excellent).

Some recent scholars believe that BWV 1052 originated as an organ concerto. Any of this is quite possible because Bach often transcribed his music for playing on a variety of instruments, and for this reason I have no problem with Bach's music played on modern instruments.

 

[dualazmak]

Let me share this YouTube clip with all of you again here; I touched on this wonderful performance by YUKA, 14-yr old at that time, in my post here.

 

[dualazmak]

Let me share with you again here András Schiff playing Bach Overture and Suites in French Style in B Minor BWV831, Bachfest Leipzig 11.06.2010.
We have intensively discussed about this world-music-heritage (IMO) performance and recording here, here and here.

So far, I mean before this YouTube clip, I have been much fascinated by Glenn Gould's performance in remastering CD (SICC 10171-2 Sony Music Japan International Inc. Remastered in 2012 by Andreas K Mayer).

Now I often "cry for" above Schiff's really amazing, IMHO "historical" live performance with wonderful video and recording quality. I believe this is one of the "world music heritages"... And also this is a good challenge to our audio system and room acoustics.

The complete recital can be found here.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhIP1CNbYhVObXv7ByHmE5oETjj6RXyAN

 

[dualazmak]

Fantasia in A Minor BWV 904; Yuko Tanaka, harpsichord 4K UHD. I touched on this YouTube clip here and here.

By piano, I like this one best;
J.S. Bach: Fantasia in A Minor BWV 904; Ivo Janssen, piano (CD Void Classics VOID9810)

 

[dualazmak]

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major BWV 1048, complete, Voices of Music 4K UHD video.
I have so many LPs and CDs on Brandenburg Concerto No.3, and now I like this wonderful performance (and excellent recording) best.

 

[dualazmak]

J.S. Bach: Prelude in C Minor "pour le luth" BWV 999; David Tayler, archlute 4K UHD video; needs no word...

 

[dualazmak]

Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten BWV 691; I like this performance best...

 

[JaMaSt]

Some of you may know the scholarship behind Rifkin's scoring of Bach's Cantatas for four (4) singers, SATB and not a full Choir. Whether or not it holds up historically that Bach did this, I find Rifkin's recordings delightful.

 

[dualazmak]

Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56:
I like this performance and recording best, especially the final "Chorale: Komm, o Tod, du Shaiafes Bruder". (CD DOR-90127 Dorian Recordings)

 

[Rednaxela]

Happened upon this recording, and enjoying it immensely at the moment.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

I like this:

Any other version of these Organ Works you guys recommend?

 

[Keith_W]

Any other version of these Organ Works you guys recommend?

Yes. My favourite Bach organist is Helmut Walcha. A lot of people think Walcha is boring, and I can understand that point of view given that I used to think so myself. Slow tempi, seemingly unenthusiastic playing, dry academic sound. But after listening to him a bit more, I realize that he has unparalleled clarity - as in, you can hear every note that he plays. I have said elsewhere that there are three factors when it comes to clarity: the performer, the recording engineer, and your sound system - only one of which is under your control (well, apart from selecting the right recording). It is up to the musician to select the right stops so that each voice of the organ has its own distinct tone, and then perform the piece in such a way that each note can be heard.

Let's compare Walcha's Art of Fugue:

To Glenn Gould:

The Gould sounds more exciting, it is played faster, with a stronger sense of rhythm. However, when passages get more complex, it is harder to tell what is going on because each voice of the fugue isn't heard as clearly. If you are the type of listener who wants to analyse the music and hear every note, you might prefer the Walcha. However, if you prefer drive, rhythm, and excitement, you might pick the Gould.

Another Bach organist (who is still quite young!) is Matthias Grunert who plays the magnificent organ at the Frauenkirche in Dresden. I have been there, heard the organ, but unfortunately did not hear Grunert. Just listen to his lovely patient expression:

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Yes. My favourite Bach organist is Helmut Walcha. A lot of people think Walcha is boring, and I can understand that point of view given that I used to think so myself. Slow tempi, seemingly unenthusiastic playing, dry academic sound. But after listening to him a bit more, I realize that he has unparalleled clarity - as in, you can hear every note that he plays. I have said elsewhere that there are three factors when it comes to clarity: the performer, the recording engineer, and your sound system - only one of which is under your control (well, apart from selecting the right recording). It is up to the musician to select the right stops so that each voice of the organ has its own distinct tone, and then perform the piece in such a way that each note can be heard.

Let's compare Walcha's Art of Fugue:

To Glenn Gould:

The Gould sounds more exciting, it is played faster, with a stronger sense of rhythm. However, when passages get more complex, it is harder to tell what is going on because each voice of the fugue isn't heard as clearly. If you are the type of listener who wants to analyse the music and hear every note, you might prefer the Walcha. However, if you prefer drive, rhythm, and excitement, you might pick the Gould.

Another Bach organist (who is still quite young!) is Matthias Grunert who plays the magnificent organ at the Frauenkirche in Dresden. I have been there, heard the organ, but unfortunately did not hear Grunert. Just listen to his lovely patient expression:

Wow. Nice overview. I will have a listen to each version in the next few days. Thank you very much.