Bach: Canatas Nos. 106-8

Advantages: Great piano playing of a great Bach composition.
Disadvantages: None

...One of Gould's final recordings, this is probably the definitive piano version of Bach's keyboard masterpiece. Gould runs the theme & thirty variations as a unified whole. His playing is characterised by clear fast passages, crisp ornaments and controlled, intense playing of the slow variations (nos.15 & 26). Even his humming along to the music does not detract from a joyous performance. The final section from variation 27 to the slow return to the theme is pianism at its most uplifting. The piano sound is clear without being dry & compares favourably with most up to date piano recordings. This is a disc to convert anyone to Bach & indeed to Gould's pianistic genius.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful relaxing music. Rich instrumentation. Played with passion.
Disadvantages: Not all instruments are from the period.

...If I was ever asked to select my "desert island discs", top of my list would be Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. (I wonder if there's a category in the ciao café?. . . ) The six Brandenburg concertos, each with their distinct quality and sound requiring a different combination of instruments, are not only a delight to listen to but exemplify the intellectual musical genius of their composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. All six are composed in major keys creating and maintaining a cheerful, vivacious collection. The modulations of key demanded by the baroque conventions are skilfully completed and Bach's predilection for numbers and ornate touches are evident. I could say more but this isn't a musical analysis . . . I am not alone in my high estimation, The Brandenburg concertos are now probably the best loved and most frequently performed works... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Elegant, refreshingly stimulating, articulate Goldberg Variations.
Disadvantages: (For US residents) Import CD from British Hyperion label costs more than the average.

...control and discipline. I wonder if these two pianists' differing approaches may reflect their respective backgrounds: Argerich hails from the (stereotypically) temperamental country of Argentina, while Hewitt comes from the frozen white north. Hmmm.... (At any rate, I love both pianists' renderings of Bach, which, in the end, are not all that different in that both move me beyond words.) In what seems like a paradox, Hewitt actually uses a larger palette of colors despite her more restrained and deliberate tempo. She weaves some kind of subtle magic that brings a greater excitement and depth to the work. To wit: she gives the bass lines more prominence than Perahia does. Her Variation 8 might not bear the commanding authority heard on Perahia's, but hers has an emotional momentum that climaxes at the end. Hewitt keeps me interested all... Read review

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