Martin Helmchen’s longstanding interest in historical instruments has borne fruit in his most recent recording. He plays all six of Bach’s Partitas on an antique Späth & Schmahl tangent piano from 1790. In the booklet, Helmchen writes that he found the instrument’s ‘colours, the symbiosis of the characteristics of the harpsichord, clavichord and early piano, the opening up of polyphonic textures’ beyond what could be accomplished on either the harpsichord or the modern piano, even though the instrument post-dates Bach’s death by 40 years. The instrument’s sound – clear and resonant, vividly articulate, yet singing with an almost indescribable poignancy – is beautifully captured by the team of engineers at the Berlin Haus des Rundfunks at sessions in September 2022 and January 2023.

The six Partitas, composed between 1726 and 1731, were the first music that Bach published after his arrival in Leipzig. As works written over a period of years, their expressive ways and means are vast in scope. Helmchen shows himself as eloquent an advocate for these masterpieces, not as any pianist, but as any artist of the keyboard active today. His interpretations are stylistically apt, from nuts-and-bolts issues, such as the richly and tastefully embellished repetitions, to the near-ideal tempos for all the varied types of dances. Each movement is beautifully detailed, standing as a unique expressive cosmos, yet integral and contributing to the character of its suite as a whole.

To say that the courantes and gigues are generally lively and ebullient is not to diminish the affective impact of individual movements. Throughout, the B flat major First Partita speaks with a fresh simplicity that, while not exactly naive, certainly befits the piece as the gateway to more ornate palaces. Has there ever been a gambol in fine weather more insouciant or carefree than the Allemande of the G major Partita? Amid the courtly French splendour of the opening of the D major Partita, one scarcely anticipates the heartbreak that will reveal itself in the Sarabande. The C minor Sinfonia is all tragic hauteur, while in the A minor Scherzo passion becomes madness. Don’t miss this.

JS Bach Six Keyboard Partitas, BWV825‑830

Martin Helmchen tangent pf

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This review originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of International Piano. Never miss an issue – subscribe today