Bach Pianist

[pianowelsh]

Hi, guys whose your favourite bach pianist??
I love Angela Hewitt in Bach, I also really enjoy the Australian/welsh pianist.. Daniel Martyn-Lewis..He also plays lots of sweelink.  your suggestions??

[thaicheow]

Check out Rosalyn Tureck.

How can one never mention Glenn Gould when come to Bach?

Alicia de Larrocha also not bad.

[pianowelsh]

Im sorry I almost took Gould for granted

[mephisto]

Hewitt is great.

[mikebechstein]

I like Hewitt a lot too.

I also like Gavrilov in what I have heard of his Bach.

Anderzewski - not bad at times.

[jakev2.0]

I don't like Hewitt because I don't like Bach played badly.

[mephisto]

GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE
PREIS DER DEUTSCHEN SCHALLPLATTENKRITIK
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE BEST OF THE YEAR
PENGUIN GUIDE ROSETTE

[pianowelsh]

ok Jakev! In what PRECISE ways does Angela Hewitt Play Bach badly. Perhaps youd like to post a video of yourself playing Bach Well?!?! If you have a valid justification for your statement you need to explain it.

[pianowelsh]

PS.. The question ask who do you like. not whose playing would you like to slag off. Thats way to easy to do.

[a1]

   I dunno pianist that play Bach's music but i also love Bach's music .

[desordre]

 I do agree 100% with Thaicheow: Mrs. Tureck is just amazing. Her playing of the Sonata BWV 964 is one of the most wonderful interpretations ever.
 Best!

[troglodyte]

Sokolov. He hasn't recorded much but his performances are great.

[pianowelsh]

Any good french Bach players??? Most seem to be russian/german at the moment??!

[pianowelsh]

Did noone hear Daniel Martyn Lewis play Bach then?? I think he's great!

[tibi]

i vote for glenn gould... just wanna tell.... i hear his goldberg variations evernight (now) before i go to sleep.. hehehe

[ramseytheii]

ok Jakev! In what PRECISE ways does Angela Hewitt Play Bach badly. Perhaps youd like to post a video of yourself playing Bach Well?!?! If you have a valid justification for your statement you need to explain it.

I heard her Toccatas disk, and I really didn't like it.  It seemed rather dull!  And the tempos were square.  It is not really a matter of rubato, though there was none, and even in Gould there are liberal rubatos, but somehow the tempo combined with a bland quality of sound.  But then I heard her play Couperin without knowing it was her, and absolutely loved it.  Dunno, I should listen to more of her Bach!

Has anyone heard the Gavrilov Goldbergs?  I am curious about how that sounds.

Walter Ramsey

[bachapprentice]

There is only one. GLENN GOULD!!

[pianistimo]

murray perahia and pogorelich!  agreed about alicia de larrocha, too.  and didn't cassedesus play bach pretty well.  did poulenc play him decently, too?  i would like to hear gila goldstein as she is favorably reviewed.

[mephisto]

There is only one. GLENN GOULD!!

NO, Glenn Gould is often amazing, but that statement is stupid. Come on even he said that he didn't like some of the pieces he recorded of Bach and therefor played them as fast as possible. Not even he would consider that to be the greatest recordings of those works.

Imo Gould's early recs are his best.

[bachapprentice]

Stupid, I think not you even said he was amazing.  If you listen to his recordings and I have heard them all, you will hear that he did not play them as fast as possible.  Hewitt does not even come in second to Gould. 

[mephisto]

Gould may be my favourtie Bach pianist(at least among my favourites).

I do easpecially like his early recordings(available on the cbc label) and live recordings.

But often his recordings are not very good imo, for instance song-like melodies are played staccato(many times he plays these song-like melodies BEAUTIFULLY).

My problel with Gould is that he could play great if he wanted bbut often played bad on purpose because he didn't like certain pieces or for other reasons(just listen to how extremely different some of his recordings of the same pieces sound).

Gould admited this in and interview.

[pianowelsh]

Yes Murray Perieha (ooh I can never spell his name correctly) He is a beautifull player. Everything is so well crafted with him and he gives so much attention to the sound. I would say he is as consistent as Gould is erratic. Agreed the Best of Gould is very exciting and challenging..the worst of Gould is abismal and you cant wait for it to end...it seems sometimes he couldnt either! I didnt hear this interview - is it possible to find it on the internet??

[mephisto]

It can be heard in this cd;
https://www.amazon.com/State-Wonder-Complete-Goldberg-Variations/dp/B00006FI7C/sr=8-1/qid=1161782955/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-8681066-4422520?ie=UTF8&s=music

[glk]

Hi:

My favorites are Murray Perahia and Andras Schiff.  I'm most familiar with the WTC and have recordings by Schiff, Richter, Tureck, Fischer, Gould (and I'm probably forgetting one).  I will likely try
Hewitt's recording, and I keep hoping that Perahia will record them.  Of the others,
each has something to commend them.  Tureck's is perhaps the most expressive for me, although I agree with some of her interpretations. (e.g. WTC 1-1 is too slow and idiosyncratic).  Richter's is striking for pure technique (as is Fischer's).  And Gould, of course, is thoughful and provocative. (I enjoy his ability to bring out lines that are often not apparent in other performances). Besides, I've always been addicted to his Goldberg.  I wish that Serkin recorded more Bach--he has a wonderful
recording of the Chromatic Fantasie and Italian Concerto.

Anyone else have favorite recordings to suggest?  (Other versions of WTC to recommend?)

Best,

Gary K

[thaicheow]

Hi,
Just come back from an europe tour. Try to browse thru some local cd stores. Boo-hoo,  cant even find a single disc of Tureck. I heard that her french/english suits are great. Wonder anyone heard her partitas b4? She puts too much personal feelings into her playing, which a lot critics just dun buy it. Anyhow, she is always my favourites. I would like to say her WTC is consider definitive interpretation.

Frankly, I never really hear all Angela's recording on bach. But her WTC simply not impressive enough compare with other masters. What is she doing now? I came upon her playing on a miscallenious composer, which had catched my ears. Anyhow, one gotto address her achivement in recording ALL bach's keyboard work.

Come across WTC recording by: Frederich Gulda, Whilhemm Kepff, Daniel Baranboim. No money to buy(esp. Daniel's. So expensive!). Just wonder how is their playing, Can anyone commend???

[franz_]

Any good french Bach players??? Most seem to be russian/german at the moment??!

Russian are the best in every style 

[pianowelsh]

Disagreed!!! Noone heard any french players who excel at this rep?? It just seems odd that though Bach wrote much in the french style that there are so few french interpreters of international standing.  I think some of you are being a bit harsh on Ms Hewitt lets face it she has won several industry awards for her recordings of Bach they are by no means or any standards BAD although they may not be to everyones taste .. but then glenn's eccentricity isnt to everyones taste either.  Regarding her 'four-square tempos' Ms Hewitt doesnt do these kind of major structural things without good reason.  She is an immensely knowledgeable Bach scholar, im sure considerable research went into the performance practice of those works.  Also she trained as a dancer I dont think issues of rhythm are usually elusive to her,  on the contrary her phrasing is typically very pointed and alive, with rythmic vitality and is devoid of excessive mauling and sentimentality which some players bring into Bachs world.  His music IS expressive and at times Romantic in one sense but it isnt expressed in the way one would play a Chopin nocturne, that is incongruous to the aesthetic of Bach's time. Its like trying to spread butter on a piece of bread with a pitch fork - it can be done (and is) but there are more appropriate ways to do it which are not as blatantly excessive.  I agree that Andras Schiff is always good in this area or repertoire. He is always so clear and with a wonderful sense of line and phrasing.

[ramseytheii]

Disagreed!!! Noone heard any french players who excel at this rep?? It just seems odd that though Bach wrote much in the french style that there are so few french interpreters of international standing.  I think some of you are being a bit harsh on Ms Hewitt lets face it she has won several industry awards for her recordings of Bach they are by no means or any standards BAD although they may not be to everyones taste .. but then glenn's eccentricity isnt to everyones taste either.  Regarding her 'four-square tempos' Ms Hewitt doesnt do these kind of major structural things without good reason.  She is an immensely knowledgeable Bach scholar, im sure considerable research went into the performance practice of those works.  Also she trained as a dancer I dont think issues of rhythm are usually elusive to her,  on the contrary her phrasing is typically very pointed and alive, with rythmic vitality and is devoid of excessive mauling and sentimentality which some players bring into Bachs world.  His music IS expressive and at times Romantic in one sense but it isnt expressed in the way one would play a Chopin nocturne, that is incongruous to the aesthetic of Bach's time. Its like trying to spread butter on a piece of bread with a pitch fork - it can be done (and is) but there are more appropriate ways to do it which are not as blatantly excessive.  I agree that Andras Schiff is always good in this area or repertoire. He is always so clear and with a wonderful sense of line and phrasing.

You have an enthusiastic defense!  I think it seems like all the factors are there to make Angela Hewitt a vital, imposing Bach player, but in my mind they just don't add up.  She doesn't deliver!  I remember for instance several Bach Toccatas.  The g minor, which is not often played, was played in such a regular way as if to say, "This is why this is never played."  Gould's recording of this can not really be classified as "weird," so I feel secure comparing the two - she doesn't doesn't bring the poetry to it.  And her rhythm is so non-dance-like, it is really mechanical.  This was not a live performance, or presumably a bad day, but an issued recording.  And at the end of the fugue, when the very first opening passage returns, there was nothing poetic, nothing special about it, it was just there.  I dno't want to be harsh on her playing because like I said, I loved her Couperin, and I didn't even know it was her playing.  But I almost wonder if people feel there has to be a pre-eminent Bach pianist at all times, and somehow she just fits the general need for it.

I think Schiff far outshines her in terms of creating characters.  I love his Bach, and just listened with complete enjoyment of his recoridng of complete Beethoven cello/piano works.  He makes such a huge variety of characters, and the rhythm is so alive.

Walter Ramsey

[jakev2.0]

@Ramsey: Gavrilov's Goldberg Variations are technically stupendous. He has Gould's trademark non-legato touch and at times flat-out copies Gould's eccentric ornamentation (i.e., second half of Variation 3). In terms of virtuosity, Gavrilov's ranks with Lifschitz and Gould in the top three, in my opinion.

But the best interpretation of these works is undoubtedly Gould's 81 recording.

[mephisto]

But the best interpretation of these works is undoubtedly Gould's 81 recording.

Actually I think the best recording is the 1954 one. I haven't heard the Salzburg rec yet, but the 1954 rec is perfect to my year. Why do you like the 1981 rec more?

[mschopinliszt]

So nice to see this discussion regarding the performing of Bach works...can any of you Bach specialists respond to my inquiry about the G major prelude, bwv 884?  i'd love to hear your input.  and for the record...glenn gould rocks. 

[jakev2.0]

The 1981 is the most cogent all-round performance. It's a perfectly planned, unified interpretation with a consistent pulse throughout all the variations. Despite it's calculated nature, the playing always sounds fresh to my ears, and of course Gould does lots of cutesy and eccentric effects as he is always prone to do. It's quite incredible that one man could come up with such a perfect interpretation of this work. Interestingly, I find that the 50 year old Gould is more technically solid than in any of the other recordings (I'm not joking - if you've listened to the '55 recording as many times as I have you'll notice him blurring certain passages and speeding up and then slowing down in places to compensate for a too fast tempo.)

I think that Salzburg is the next best performance. Gould claimed to hate live performance. I think it's because he wanted people to think of him as a calculating intellectual rather than an unabashed romantic...but in this recording you get to hear the latter. He's totally uninhibited and spontaneous...a really gorgeous performance.

The '55 is probably the most famous Bach recording ever made, and with good reason - nothing like it had been heard before and it sent shockwaves through the musical world. I actually prefer Gould's romantic playing of the Aria in this recording to all the others (even though it's been recently adopted as the background music for Hannibal Lecter's dinner in the recent Silent of the Lambs Movie  ). This recording is quite exciting, but in my mind Salzburg is more romantic and 81 is just a much better performance overall.

'54 is not great by Gould's standards. He didn't have as firm a conception of the piece as he did when he recorded it for Columbia officially the following year.

In the 1960s Gould recorded the Aria and Canonic Variations in a CBC video (which can be viewed on YouTube. The playing is technically accurate, but totally boring and monotonous.  The Aria is downright obnoxious. It seems as if Gould really didn't want to record it at that time! Sadly, I'd rather hear Gould playing these variations than the Bach wannabes (Hewitt, Barenboim, Perahia etc.)

To summarize:

1. 1981 (best Goldberg's Recording ever, and one of the greatest interpretations of the recording age)
2. Salzburg
3. 1955
4. 1954
5. 1960s Canonic Variations for the CBC

[pianowelsh]

You must remember that with anyone who has recorded the complete keyboard works of a composer that there will be ones they will shine in and others they wont.  Also they arent always going to be on top form all the time.  I have to say with regard to Hewitt I much prefer to see her live.

[mephisto]

Variations like no13 are almost impossible for me to listen to in the 81 rec. While the 54 rec shows the young Gould(90% of the time I think the young Gould was better; just listen to the eroica variations) with spontaniaty and emotion in the slow lyrical varitations. Of course there is no reason to discuss this since we dissagree and it doesn't really matter.

[jakev2.0]

I don't agree. But you're right that his early Mozart C major sonata is MUCH better than the later one heh.