Johann Sebastian Bach - Piano Transcriptions Vol. 5 - Goedicke, Kabalevsky, Catoire & Siloti (Hamish Milne)

Information

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

1. Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV 541 (arr. Alexander Goedicke): Prelude
2. Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV 541 (arr. Alexander Goedicke): Fugue
3. Prelude in B minor, BWV 855a (arr. Alexander Siloti)
4. Prelude (Part 1 No 1 of Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35) (arr. )
5. Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 539 (arr. Alexander Goedicke): Prelude
6. Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 539 (arr. Alexander Goedicke): Fugue
7. Air 'on the G string' (Movement 2 of Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068) (arr. Alexander Siloti)
8. Adagio (Movement 3 of Sonata for violin and harpsichord No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1018) (arr. Alexander Siloti)
9. Fugue in C minor, BWV 575 (arr. Alexander Goedicke)
10. Andante (Movement 3 of Sonata No 2 in A minor, BWV 1003) (arr. Alexander Siloti)
11. Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582 (arr. Georgy Catoire)
12. Siciliano (Movement 2 of Sonata in E flat major, BWV 1031) (arr. Alexander Siloti)
13. Toccata and Fugue in D minor 'Dorian', BWV 538 (arr. Dmitri Kabalevsky): Toccata
14. Toccata and Fugue in D minor 'Dorian', BWV 538 (arr. Dmitri Kabalevsky): Fugue

Hamish Milne, piano
Date: 2005
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67506

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

Hamish Milne is a seasoned hand in the realm of Romantic piano rarities, and therefore is a perfect candidate for Hyperion’s ongoing Bach transcription survey. As a pianist who tosses off the most difficult Weber and Medtner finger twisters with consummate, undemonstrative ease, it comes as no surprise that Milne takes the mighty octave passages and barrel-chested chords throughout the Bach/Kabalevsky “Dorian” Prelude and Fugue or the Bach/Catoire C minor Passacaglia (more garish than Eugen d’Albert’s better-known transcription of the same work) in fluent stride. Even the densest textures of the Bach/Goedicke D minor Fugue (based on the G minor Solo Violin Sonata’s fugue) seem to bypass the piano en route to the music, with not an ugly sound within earshot.

Milne’s capabilities as a colorist and tonal magician particularly hit home in slower, more lyrical pieces. His gorgeous, melting legato touch and ravishingly contoured inner voices in the Bach/Siloti B minor Prelude and in the same transcriber’s treatment of the F minor Violin and Keyboard Sonata’s Adagio are worth this disc’s price. Indeed, Milne’s piano playing is so wonderful that you nearly forget that these transcriptions are hopelessly outmoded by today’s purist zeitgeist. And the pianist’s intelligent, frank, and informative booklet notes deserve their own 10/10 review. [7/16/2005]

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: ****
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/June05/Bach_Milne_CDA67506.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/h/hyp67506a.php
http://www.allmusic.com/album/bach-piano-transcriptions-vol-5-russian-transcriptions-mw0001841727
https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Piano-Transcriptions-Vol-Kabalevsky/dp/B00095L910

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Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. Bach enriched established German styles through his mastery of counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and his adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from Italy and France. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, and vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach

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Hamish Milne (born 27 April 1939, Salisbury) is a British pianist known for his advocacy of Nikolai Medtner. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he now teaches, and later in Italy under Guido Agosti. One of Britain’s leading pianists over several decades, Hamish Milne has appeared as soloist with most of the leading British orchestras and has given over two hundred broadcasts for the BBC. In the 1970s, Milne was the first pianist to offer a comprehensive survey of the music of Medtner since the composer made his own records in the 78s era. He has recorded for Chandos, CRD, Danacord, Decca and Hyperion labels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamish_Milne

http://www.hamishmilne.com/

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