Your favorite pianist for the WTC

[Allegro con brio]

What is your favorite recording of WTC 1 & 2 ? (eventually harpichord players too !)
 Personnaly for me it's : (whithout order of preference)

Edwin Fischer
Friederich Gulda
Glenn Gould
Keith Jarrett 
Andras Schiff

On harpichord:
Gustav Leonhardt
Bob van Asperen
Colin Tilney
Huguette Dreyfus

[bernhard]

Piano:

Rosalyn Tureck
Angela Hewitt
Andras Schiff
Glenn Gould
Edwin Fischer

Harpsichord

Ralph Kirkpatrick
Gustav Leonhardt
Gary Cooper

Clavichord

Ralph Kirkpatrick (I believe this to be the only clavichord version - just amazing).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[etudes]

Andras Schiff
Glenn Gould
Edwin Fischer

[musicsdarkangel]

Tureck
Gould

[hodi]

one thing for sure.. NOT Gould, he sings when he plays it, it ruins the recording.. and he plays like a MIDI

[pianonut]

happened to hear richter's recording of the c major prelude and fugue the other day.  it's probably very well known, but i like the simpleness and directness.  there's no schmultz.  it's like seeing sunlight coming in through the window.  you know it's there, yet it's not the individual notes you hear, but the understanding that they make up chords like beams of light.

wonder what alicia delarrochia's preludes and fugues sound like? 

[aquariuswb]

happened to hear richter's recording of the c major prelude and fugue the other day.  it's probably very well known, but i like the simpleness and directness.  there's no schmultz.  it's like seeing sunlight coming in through the window.  you know it's there, yet it's not the individual notes you hear, but the understanding that they make up chords like beams of light.

Interesting, in another forum (www.good-music-guide.com) I was recommended by many to check out Richter's WTC -- they all claimed it was one of the best ever recorded. Now that you've mentioned this, I might just have to go out and find out for myself...

Speaking of this other forum, we could really use somebody like BERNHARD there.

Yeah, so BERNHARD (and of course others interested), check it out! https://www.good-music-guide.com/forum/index.php

[pizno]

Have you heard Til Fellner's recording of it?

[SteinwayTony]

Have you heard Til Fellner's recording of it?

Yes, I own two copies (long story), and it's quite lovely.  I hope he records the second book.

[Allegro con brio]

I don't like very much Richter (specialy in Book 1). I feel his playing like he would that Bach being a impressionist. When I listen for exemple to the E flat minor prelude & fugue (Book 1) I don't know if it's J.S. Bach or Claude Debussy !

[etudes]

where i can find Samuel Feinberg recording!

[Waldszenen]

Glenn Gould for piano

Adam Wasiel for Harpsichord

[bachmaninov]

Of course Glenn Gould would be "considered" the reincarnation of Bach! But I truly dislike Gould. I doubt there is a single sincere recording of him, that he hasn't cut and combined by sections. This is the truth. Show me a good live recording, and prove me wrong.

[maxy]

Richter.
 so far he is the only one that kept my attention for more than 15 minutes in WTC.

I have heard Gould, Gulda, Hewitt, Fischer, Schiff, Tureck, Kirkpatrick.

I am curious about hearing Feinberg.

once again: my vote to Richter big time.

[philippe]

Of course Glenn Gould would be "considered" the reincarnation of Bach! But I truly dislike Gould. I doubt there is a single sincere recording of him, that he hasn't cut and combined by sections. This is the truth. Show me a good live recording, and prove me wrong.

I'm "Allegro con brio" (I found this too long,  I use now simply my first name )

So, I don't agree with you:

1. If Glenn Gould cut and/or combined in his recording, he's not the only one. Of course it is the truth! The disc recording is done for that !

2. To say that cut or combined is not a sincere recording (or playing, it's the same thing) it's like you say that a film is not sincere because the playing of actors is cut and combined too !
For me a true disc recording it's like a film and a live recording like a play filmed.

3. However, I don't doubt that exist good live recording, but the problem it's if a musician make a mistake, don't forget that a recording is done (I suppose) for to be listen many times. After that our ear could accustom at this mistake and wait this mistake in a other recording, at the same note.
(Why the live recording are now often corrected ?)

4. Listen the Goldberg Variations in live recording of Salzburg Festival, 1959.

5. I don't want to say that I don't like a live recording but a disc for me don't must reflected a "musical evening". The worst is when the editor let the applauses. It' a non-sense. The applauses are a sense when you participate at the evevement, when you are in the auditorium. But a long time after, alone or in family, at home,  in your living room, out of the event, it's disturb the pleasure of the audition of the cd. 

Best wishes,
Philippe

[jazzyd]

Feinberg.

I don't consider it definitive, but it's best complete recording I have heard. Richter's live Innsbruck recording is also must have, but the playing isn't as colourful.

[nanabush]

Gould all the way, I love the way he interprets the music!

[rohansahai]

Mieczyslaw Horszowsky !! Surprising that nobody has mentioned him yet. Of course, I also like gould and richter (would love to hear tureck ...but i don't get it anywhere here in india.)

[Dazzer]

Of course Glenn Gould would be "considered" the reincarnation of Bach! But I truly dislike Gould. I doubt there is a single sincere recording of him, that he hasn't cut and combined by sections. This is the truth. Show me a good live recording, and prove me wrong.

when i played bach for my old teacher, she told me that I played like glenn gould. but then she went on to say "Please don't play like glenn gould. Because Glenn Gould does not play bach. Glenn Gould plays Glenn Gould." with her thick russian accent... hahaha the memory of that still amuses me.

so ultimately, when it comes to interpretations, do you play as the composer intended it? or as how you prefer it to sound?

a good example would be the first prelude. Traditionally, its meant to be played slow. Glenn gould took it a step further by adding his own little articulations. Then someone else took it another step further by playing it 4 times the speed its meant to be played (i can't remember who did it, but its hilarious, so hilarious its not funny)

my 3 cents

[rohansahai]

so ultimately, when it comes to interpretations, do you play as the composer intended it? or as how you prefer it to sound?

Aha ! That's the point of debate !! I'd like to add a new dimension to it.  What is interpretation? Is it just following the directions and dynamics given by the composer and the ones which have traditionally descended from the 17th century to the present age? I don't think so !
Remember that the WTC was composed in the early 18th century and the social, religious AND technical circumstances were entirely different from what it is today ! The true interpretation would be the one in which the performer has such a fine understanding of the composer's nature(from his biographies, works) that he is able to judge how the composer would have played it in THE PRESENT AGE ! By blindly following the directions on the score, one merely gives a "Museum" performance (as Heinrich Neuhaus to classifies in his book). It is a performance of the 18th century, NOT the 21st ! Now, of course, such performances hold a lot of significance too (just the way museums are such significant places), but it does not mean that the other style is rejected...in fact that is the more appropriate style to play it in. When Glenn Gould plays(or for that matter even Richter, or MOST "unorthodox" renderings), it is not GOULD plays GOULD, rather it is "GOULD plays BACH" in the truest and deepest sense of the word, since he is actually trying to render what Bach himself would have rendered to TODAY'S audience !
That is the difficult thing about it ! Had it been just following the score, interpretation would've been a very easy thing. Would like to have more comments/arguments on this issue !
Best Wishes,
Rohan.

[rlefebvr]

I am very fond of Daniel Barenboim.

Very interesting interpretation.

[aajjmb]

Mieczyslaw Horszowsky !! Surprising that nobody has mentioned him yet. Of course, I also like gould and richter (would love to hear tureck ...but i don't get it anywhere here in india.)

i don't like the way he plays... to blurry sounding (could be due to old recording thou)
fischer is beter than horszowksy
got glenn gould last wekk.... definately the best (he does sing thou.....i guess pollini does too, so there for it is OK)

[pseudopianist]

I just bought a cd with Jeno Jano and he plays it just perfect BUT the bastard hums and I can't stand it so now I can't listen to it.

I've been trying to find Ritchers recordings of it, from the samples I have heard I'm speechless, especially the first P&F from book 1.

[LVB op.57]

Jeno Jando's humming is annoying, but that's really not what stopped me from listening to his recording more than once.

Definitely Schiiff. Very clean, good articulation, strong sound.

[galonia]

I like Schiff, but I like Richter more!

[pseudopianist]

I like Schiff, but I like Richter more!

Best post ever. 

LVB: The thing is that I can't focus on anything else than the humming

[sznitzeln]

I think Richter is the best, but Schiff and Jarret are good too.
Something annoys me about Schiff in many of his works, (mozart sonatas), and even these, but still I cant deny he plays good.
They play different preludes and fuges better...
IMO Richter has the highest standard, but probably all of them cant stand some of the p&f
I could never concentrate to Richters #4 p&f , but e-minor is very good, etc

1) Richter
2) Jarret
3) Schiff
4) havent got

[quasimodo]

Apart from the legends (Richter/Gould/Tureck), I really love a recording from a contemporary pianist : Ivo Janssen lots of finesse, intelligence and intuition. He created his own label to record the whole Bach keyboard works, and his Goldberg's are quite effective as well.

Jarrett is OK too.

[krittyot]

Gavrilov from the BBC DVD P&F no.1-no.12 is much better then Richter himself. Sadly, he didn't record the whole book 1. Check it out guys. As long as you have not heard Gavrilov playing just no.1-no.12 on DVD, Richter are Schiff are not necessary the best.

[gkatele]

Gavrilov from the BBC DVD P&F no.1-no.12 is much better then Richter himself. Sadly, he didn't record the whole book 1.

I just got that DVD

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005NFZR/qid=1116162343/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl74/104-3895821-2542307?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846

and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Gavrilov is quite the character. I love how he talks about the C-major fugue and he says, "For me, is difficult. You know, all white. What can I say, it is so white."

The settings in which p&f is filmed are also interesting - again: austere simple for the c-major. For the c-minor, a funky blue neon light.

I also wonder how the heck Gavrilov can play Bach with that huge ring on his finger!



George

[thracozaag]

Edward Aldwell

koji (STSD)

[dancingfingers]

I'm a Fischer fan myself (maybe just because that's the WTC recording I grew up with  ). He has a lovely ethereal quality, very different from Gould's, that lends a certain loftiness to the music. I find his C# major and Bb minor from book 1, and E major and F major from book 2, to be particularly enchanting. He generally does not double-dot or add extra ornamentation; I find this refreshingly pure.

But there are many other great recordings around, so listen away!

[rohansahai]

Apart from the legends (Richter/Gould/Tureck), I really love a recording from a contemporary pianist : Ivo Janssen lots of finesse, intelligence and intuition. He created his own label to record the whole Bach keyboard works, and his Goldberg's are quite effective as well.

Jarrett is OK too.

I listened to his goldberg and it is simply outstanding. The way he manipulates the ornamentation, the finesse and intuition(as quasi said), easily puts it on top of my list of the best goldberg. I haven't listened to his WTC, so can't really comment on it , but i'm sure that it must be awesome too.

[andrewp]

I'd go for Gould and Richter (as different worlds as one could imagine) as absolute favourites. I also quite like Schiff (which I 'grew up with') and Roberts, and I'd agree the Fellner has nice moments.

A recent acquisition I am very taken with is Kempff playing 18 of the preludes and fugues from WTC 1. Does anyone know how much of the WTC Kempff recorded? I wish it was more. The pulse is irregular, sometimes the lines don't even sound quite co-ordinated. But it is very winning: warm, relaxed, sunny playing.

[sznitzeln]

Can you please add a poll?

[dikidu]

WTC PERFORMED BY DAVID KOREVAAR.

[Bulgarian]

I would like to add two excellent piano recordings - Jorg Demus (Correct me if I am wrong but the recording apparently  exists only on an  LP) and Angela Hewett.

[jazzyd]

A recent acquisition I am very taken with is Kempff playing 18 of the preludes and fugues from WTC 1. Does anyone know how much of the WTC Kempff recorded? I wish it was more.

Besides the DG release, there are earlier recordings of Kempff playing the WTC (on 78s, I think). I don't know the specifics, but I don't think it was a complete recording. I'm fairly certain these haven't been released on CD yet.

[Alde]

I really enjoy Gould's performances.  You never seem to know what he's going to do.  He is such a unique pianist.

[odsum25]

Tureck, Fischer, Fellner.

Of course, on the harpsichord no one can match Kirkpatrick.

[Barbosa-piano]

      Piano Recordings:
      1- Glenn Gould
      2- Edwin Fisher

     Harpsichord Recordings:
     1- Kirkpatrick