Johann Sebastian Bach - Keyboard Works & Transcriptions (Hélène Grimaud)

Information

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

1. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847
2. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Fugue No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847
3. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 849
4. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Fugue No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 849
5. Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052: I. Allegro
6. Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052: II. Adagio
7. Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052: III. Allegro
8. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No. 6 in D minor, BWV 875
9. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 875
10. Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: V. Chaconne (transcr. Busoni)
11. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No. 20 in A minor, BWV 889
12. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWV 889
13. Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 (transcr. Liszt)
14. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude No. 9 in E major, BWV 878
15. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Fugue No. 9 in E major, BWV 878
16. Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006: I. Preludio (transcr. Rachmaninov)

Hélène Grimaud, piano
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Florian Donderer, conductor (5-7)

Date: 2008
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4777978

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review

Three sides of the coin in Bach – concerto, solo and transcribed

Hélène Grimaud presents an intruiging mix of solo Bach, concerted Bach and transcribed Bach that partly achieves unity by the juxtaposition of works in the same key, such as a “D minor trilogy” containing the First Keyboard Concerto, Prelude and Fugue No 6 from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 and the Bach/Busoni Chaconne. In the main, Grimaud is a vigorous, sometimes aggressive Bach player who understands and internalises the kind of rhythmic drive that made Glenn Gould tick, albeit without his sense of humour. She spins gorgeously contoured cantabiles in the A minor and E major Book 2 Preludes, yet rarely varies her hard tone in the latter’s corresponding fugue.

Her C minor Book 1 Fugue is about the stiffest and most disturbingly unmusical rendition I’ve heard by a world-class pianist. Conversely, the C sharp minor Book 1 Prelude and Fugue radiates nuance, linear dimension and a captivating organic flow that evokes Edwin Fischer and Samuel Feinberg at their most sublime. I only wish I could weld Grimaud’s spirited, characterful solo work in the Concerto onto either Perahia or Hewitt’s superior (and more naturally, less claustrophobically reproduced) orchestras, both of which demonstrate in the slow movement that discreet vibrato need not yield ugly, anaemic string tone in the name of authenticity.

While Grimaud imbues Busoni’s violin transcription with freewheeling momentum and organ-like sustaining power and resonance, she scales down Liszt’s organ transcription to more intimate, less gothic tonal dimensions, and quite convincingly so at that. However, one might wish for more flair and animation than her sober, crystal-clear performance of the “Bach-maninov” Prelude offers. On the basis of this release alone, I can’t predict how Grimaud’s next Bach project might sound, and I’m curious to find out.

-- Jed Distler, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/May09/Bach_Grimaud_4777978.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/album/bach-transcribed-mw0001243913
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne-Grimaud/dp/B001NESPH2

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

***

Hélène Grimaud (born 7 November 1969 in Aix-en-Provence, France) is a French classical pianist. In 1982, she was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire and won first prize in piano performance three years later. She continued to study with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until her debut recital in Tokyo in 1987. Since then, Grimaud has given concerts with most of the world’s major orchestras and many celebrated conductors. Her recordings have been critically acclaimed and awarded numerous accolades. She is also a wildlife conservationist, a human rights activist, and a writer with three published books.

http://helenegrimaud.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLAC, tracks

Links in comment

Enjoy!