Bach English Suites
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Johann Sebastian Bach
Label: Decca
Magazine Review Date: 12/1988
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 129
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 421 640-2DH2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (6) English Suites |
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
András Schiff, Piano Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer |
Author: John Duarte
This integral account of Bach's English Suites brings more good news than bad, and more of Bach than of pianism. Schiff occasionally sounds hurried (Bourree of No. 1 and Courante of No. 3 for instance) or soporific (as in the Sarabandes of Suites Nos. 3 and 4) but in general his tempos are well chosen. Pianism per se intrudes but seldom, as overdone staccato (Gigue of No. 4 and a few galanteries) and heavily crunched chords on the first beats of bars 10 and 12 of the second half of Bourree 2 of No. 2. Whilst repeats in some movements are wisely left untouched others are given varying amounts of added embellishment, for the most part judicious and logical, though the device of turning melodic thirds into conjunct triplets is staled by over-use.
The agrements are properly used as the repeats in the Sarabandes of Suites No. 2 and 3, but in Suite No. 1 Double 1 provides the repeats of Courante 2 and Double 2 is then played without repeats, no less inexplicably, having played the Gigue of Suite No. 2 with its repeats, Schiff plays it again—but without repeats. There is another mystery, in the Sarabande of Suite No. 5: Schiff plays the bass C in bar 4 of the second section of the Sarabande of Suite No. 5 as a sharp (natural is clearly written), and likewise the last treble F in the next bar (Gould on CBS does so too) why? Overall, the many good things in this recording (including the quality of the sound) outweigh the eccentricities, which is more than can be said of Gould's extremely mixed 'singalong' bag wonderful at its best, but at its frequent worst, garishly colouring Bach's balanced lines with aural 'hi-lite markers'.'
The agrements are properly used as the repeats in the Sarabandes of Suites No. 2 and 3, but in Suite No. 1 Double 1 provides the repeats of Courante 2 and Double 2 is then played without repeats, no less inexplicably, having played the Gigue of Suite No. 2 with its repeats, Schiff plays it again—but without repeats. There is another mystery, in the Sarabande of Suite No. 5: Schiff plays the bass C in bar 4 of the second section of the Sarabande of Suite No. 5 as a sharp (natural is clearly written), and likewise the last treble F in the next bar (Gould on CBS does so too) why? Overall, the many good things in this recording (including the quality of the sound) outweigh the eccentricities, which is more than can be said of Gould's extremely mixed 'singalong' bag wonderful at its best, but at its frequent worst, garishly colouring Bach's balanced lines with aural 'hi-lite markers'.'
Bach English Suites
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