Angela Hewitt

[steinway23]

In my opinion, she plays the most beautiful Bach even when compared with the great Rosalyn Tureck, Horszowki, Richter or Gould. Her unpretentious playing, coupled with such follow-through interpretive ideas and respect for God and music has caused me to embark on this acquisition of her recordings.... She draws you to the music and that feeling is so magical. Her interpretation is just SO RIGHT!!!

I was wondering if there are any like-minded friends out there that feels the same way as i do...

Just feel free to add any comments about her or any links to any websites about her...

Thanks!!!!!

[cziffra777]

I don't like her playing at all. I'll take Bach played by Richter, Feinberg, Nikolayeva, etc. any day.

[bernhard]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Hewitt surpasses Tureck (imo the greatest Bach interpreter ever), but I would certainly agree that she is a superb Bach player. (Her recent CD on Couperin is also wonderful, and she also plays a mean Ravel).

https://www.cramermarderartists.com/hewitt.htm#AH%20biography
(biography)
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artist_page.asp?name=hewitt
(discography)
https://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,929595,00.html
(Here she talks about her Couperin recording.)



I am only mildly interested in Gould's Bach - mostly for novelty value, he is always interesting to listen. :-/

As for Richter, Nikolaieva et all, they better stick to Prokofiev. Their Bach is simply misguided.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[cziffra777]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Hewitt surpasses Tureck (imo the greatest Bach interpreter ever)

I guess if you think everything by Bach should be played extremely slowly, then maybe she is the greatest Bach interpreter. I personally think she does a disservice to Bach's music.

I am only mildly interested in Gould's Bach - mostly for novelty value, he is always interesting to listen. :-/

I like some of Gould's Bach. The live recording of the Goldberg Variations is better than any of the studio versions. Some of my favorite recordings of Gould's are of the Little Preludes and other short works that appear on the Partitas set. The Partitas in the set are pretty good as well, although not as good as my favorite performances of certain works. I prefer Weissenberg in the D major, Sokolov in the c minor and Lipatti and Renard for the Bb major.

As for Richter, Nikolaieva et all, they better stick to Prokofiev. Their Bach is simply misguided.

How so?

[thracozaag]

I don't like her playing at all. I'll take Bach played by Richter, Feinberg, Nikolayeva, etc. any day.

 Agreed.  I'm not the biggest Richter fan, but I do enjoy his Bach very much (and Argerich's too).

koji (STSD)

[bernhard]

How so?

Try these two references for a start:

Ralph Kirkpatrick – Interpreting Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier (Yale University Press)

Paul Badura-Skoda – Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard (Oxford University Press).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Daevren]

Bach played by Richter? I am a big Richter fan but him playing Bach? I don't even want to hear it. Why didn't he record the complete Scriabin Sonatas instead? He should do romantic stuff.

[thracozaag]

Bach played by Richter? I am a big Richter fan but him playing Bach? I don't even want to hear it. Why didn't he record the complete Scriabin Sonatas instead? He should do romantic stuff.

 He pretty much did (no recordings of the 1st, 4th or 8th to my knowledge though).  His WTC is great, imo (and this coming from a non-Richter fan).


koji (STSD)

[cziffra777]

Try these two references for a start:

Ralph Kirkpatrick – Interpreting Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier (Yale University Press)

Paul Badura-Skoda – Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard (Oxford University Press).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

That doesn't answer my question and I already have the Kirkpatrick book.

[cziffra777]

Bach played by Richter? I am a big Richter fan but him playing Bach? I don't even want to hear it.

Your loss.

Why didn't he record the complete Scriabin Sonatas instead?

He never recorded complete cycles of anything.

He should do romantic stuff.

Why? Richter is one of the most well-rounded pianists I've heard.

[Daevren]

Ok, I do want to hear it, I just can't imagine it being really good.

[thracozaag]

Ok, I do want to hear it, I just can't imagine it being really good.

 Why not?  It's actually quite fabulous.

koji (STSD)

[Daevren]

Because Bach music is quite fragile and subtle while Richter is a really powerful player.

I am not saying its bad, I have not heard it so I have no choice but to believe its good.

[thracozaag]

Because Bach music is quite fragile and subtle while Richter is a really powerful player.

I am not saying its bad, I have not heard it so I have no choice but to believe its good.

 Wow, Bach is "fragile and subtle".  Wow.

koji (STSD)

[cziffra777]

 Wow, Bach is "fragile and subtle".  Wow.

koji (STSD)

You took the words out of my mouth. Those are about the last words I would use to describe Bach's music.

[IllBeBach]

I enjoy her Bach very much, only slightly less than Andras Schiff's, which I like that best so far of Bach played on the piano.

I find Rosalyn Tureck's Bach interesting but kind of pretentious--actually just like her interviews.... *blacks out suddenly and discovers a new way of posting notes on the forum*

[Daevren]

Yes, Bachs music is like a fragile complex building of thin beams and ropes/chains ingeniusly holding everything together. I am suprised to hear that other people look at it quite differently.

[cziffra]

Richter never recorded complete cycles of anything.  

Yes he did.  i have the complete wtc sitting in my room right now.,  i payed 60 bucks for it.  

Yes, Bachs music is like a fragile complex building of thin beams and ropes/chains ingeniusly holding everything together. I am suprised to hear that other people look at it quite differently.

are you serious?  this is a man who had fifteen children and could improvise fugues with his feet- his way of testing an organ for the first time was to play with all the stops out to get the feel for the organ at it's most powerful...he wrote a church cantata evey week for five years, lived to the age of 75 ...

delicate?  that's like saying martha argerich is pretty, it quite misses the point.

[Jake]

Call me bizarre, but I've always fancied Perahia's English Suites.   

really late edit: I can't listen to Perahia's English Suites any more now that I've discovered Gould. It's so crisp. You can actually hear the playing!

[thracozaag]

Yes, Bachs music is like a fragile complex building of thin beams and ropes/chains ingeniusly holding everything together. I am suprised to hear that other people look at it quite differently.

  ,

koji (STSD)

[faulty_damper]

delicate?  that's like saying martha argerich is pretty, it quite misses the point.

Are you being sar*asti*?

[Daevren]

"this is a man who had fifteen children and could improvise fugues with his feet- his way of testing an organ for the first time was to play with all the stops out to get the feel for the organ at it's most powerful...he wrote a church cantata evey week for five years, lived to the age of 75 ... "

What has that got to do with his music?  

Just try it, remove one or two notes fron one bar. The whole thing collapses.

[thracozaag]

"this is a man who had fifteen children and could improvise fugues with his feet- his way of testing an organ for the first time was to play with all the stops out to get the feel for the organ at it's most powerful...he wrote a church cantata evey week for five years, lived to the age of 75 ... "

What has that got to do with his music?  

Just try it, remove one or two notes fron one bar. The whole thing collapses.

 Yeah, what does a composer's life (which affects his aesthetic) have ANYTHING do to with the way he composes?  I won't even comment on the 2nd statement.

koji (STSD)

[cziffra]

What has that got to do with his music?    

it has everything to do with his music.  my impression of the fugues changed drastically, and so should yours, when i learnt this:  he has been reported to have improvised fugues far more sophistacated and daring than anything he ever put to paper...

that's the sort of man we're dealing with.