Bach Six Partitas

[Kontrapunctus]

I received this disc today and really like it. Warmly expressive playing, along with tremendous feats of virtuosity, all captured in richly resonant sound (perhaps a little too resonant at times.) It's on the IY label, presumably his own. I certainly hope he records the other three someday soon!

[Mandryka]

I think that, with this recording, I've finally found my soul mate.

No one I have heard plays Bach's counterpoint as dramatically and as imaginatively as Kenneth Weiss. Each voice independent and characterful, never (or rarely) one voice accompanying another, always two or more voices in animated conversation like a Haydn quartet. And the result is never an arbitrary crash of musical lines: the texture sounds beautiful, complex, natural.

He also believes that the music is expressive and he uses rubato to give it expression. But the hesitations are never jolting, they always seem biologically integrated with the music's flow.

At times dancing, at times lyrical, each partita is revealed to be a rich, strange and satisfying entity in itself. The harpsichord is muscular and rich sounding, superbly recorded.

[Kontrapunctus]

I think that, with this recording, I've finally found my soul mate.

No one I have heard plays Bach's counterpoint as dramatically and as imaginatively as Kenneth Weiss. Each voice independent and characterful, never (or rarely) one voice accompanying another, always two or more voices in animated conversation like a Haydn quartet. And the result is never an arbitrary crash of musical lines: the texture sounds beautiful, complex, natural.

He also believes that the music is expressive and he uses rubato to give it expression. But the hesitations are never jolting, they always seem biologically integrated with the music's flow.

At times dancing, at times lyrical, each partita is revealed to be a rich, strange and satisfying entity in itself. The harpsichord is muscular and rich sounding, superbly recorded.

I just sold that on Amazon--did you by any chance buy it?

I'm enjoying my recent purchase of Sergey Schepkin's re-make. At times I think his playing could use a little more Russian muscle, but there's no denying the clarity and beauty he brings to them.

[Mandryka]

I just sold that on Amazon--did you by any chance buy it?

No I have it through spotify. What did you think of it?

[Kontrapunctus]

No I have it through spotify. What did you think of it?

I liked it well enough, but since I'm running out of storage space and prefer Bach on the piano, it had to go!

[bioluminescentsquid]

The incipit of this putative cycle is the B flat major suite, which I think has often been played quasi-gallantly by keyboardist. What I mean is it is voiced so as to avoid dissonance, and to bring out memorable melodies. I have sometimes even heard it played like simple domestic music, without grandiose and deeply meaningful gestures or symphonic colours.

Not so for Verlet in this her second recording.

I don't think anyone I know voices this music remotely like she does. The voices are staggered to create drama and the occasional dissonance. This is particularly effective in the heart of the music, the sarabande.  And memorable in the  closing gigue, which made me think of Haydn's clock - but unlike Haydn's clock Verlet's Bach never goes off the rails. Verlet's clock is . . . clockwork.

Her pacing tends to be slow, and her rhythms rather uninflected, and this give the impression of strength and weight.

It also gives the impression of po-faced constipation.

This is the least light, least graceful, least playful performance of the partita that I recall hearing.

Me no like.

Just dug this recording up (On Spotify, of course - Verlet is always synonymous with OOP) and listened to the 1st partita. Gotta agree with you - had rather high expectations, from her WTC, Froberger, and Couperin, but came away with a big "meh." I won't use po-faced constipation to describe her playing here, but while the Colmar Ruckers (albeit recorded less closely than in her other recordings - the sound suffers as a consequence), the birds tweeting in the museum courtyard, the expressive agogics, even the little gasp she makes before starting are there, the loving brilliance isn't. The dissonances in her meanish tuning are also slightly annoying.

Oh well. I'll check out the other five partitas to see if they are better.

[bioluminescentsquid]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUCm4lKDnls

I've been following this guy, Wim Winters, for a while, not only for his videos but also because he's one of the few performers I know who can make a clavichord sing (rather than just buzz). He's recording a new Partitas set on tape that he plans to release on both Vinyl and CD, and is posting videos of him making the recordings (amusingly, with his wife managing the tape recorder!).

I like his slow, relaxed tempos, and while his playing lacks the air of nobility and sophistication of say, Leonhardt, it is very full of humanity - I think the clavichord's sound is best described as "Homely"

The trills and arpeggiations on Clavichord seem rather more awkward than ones on Harpsichord, though. And the rather pianoforte-oriented sound makes me think more "early Classical" rather than "late Baroque," as I usually think when listening to the Partitas.

I love the sudden outburst of the trill in the middle of the contemplative Sarabande

[bioluminescentsquid]

Just found this on itunes:



Most of the set was well-played but not distinctive, but I did like how she played the Capriccio of the 2nd partita with a sense of inégale, making it like a dainty, carefree French dance. (almost like Rameaus?)

[GioCar]

A brand new release

[asin]B01N6V17N3[/asin]

VERY interesting!

Already available in Europe.

[zamyrabyrd]

The thrills and arpeggiations on Clavichord seem rather more awkward than ones on Harpsichord, though. And the rather pianoforte-oriented sound makes me think more "early Classical" rather than "late Baroque," as I usually think when listening to the Partitas. I love the sudden outburst of the thrill in the middle of the contemplative Sarabande

Do you mean "trills"? "Thrills" is also interesting...

[bioluminescentsquid]

A brand new release

[asin]B01N6V17N3[/asin]

VERY interesting!

Already available in Europe.

Impressions: Excellently played; fluid and supple. But to me, not a unanimous "buy" - I'm more than happy with my Leonhardt, Weiss, and Dubreuil.

Do you mean "trills"? "Thrills" is also interesting...

Autocorrect isn't always my friend! 

[Mandryka]

Impressions: Excellently played; fluid and supple. But to me, not a unanimous "buy" - I'm more than happy with my Leonhardt, Weiss, and Dubreuil.

I've listened to 4 and 6.  Energetic extrovert virtuosic performances; loads of grandeur and nobility; totally convincing, I never thought to myself "ooh that's strange"; big emotional range. 

I thought there were some interesting new musical ideas - ornamentation in the sarabande of 6 for example,  a disturbingly urgent and fantastic toccata, and Hantai type static electricity in the French Overture.

The gigue for 6, which Egarr thinks is the climax of the whole series and a musical depiction of Christ's scourging, is absolutely extraordinary for its intense brutal pain.

Nice Ruckers style instrument well recorded.

Provocative essay on numerology and symbolism by Egarr in the booklet.

[bioluminescentsquid]

I've listened to 4 and 6.  Energetic extrovert virtuosic performances; loads of grandeur and nobility; totally convincing, I never thought to myself "ooh that's strange"; big emotional range. 

I thought there were some interesting new musical ideas - ornamentation in the sarabande of 6 for example,  a disturbingly urgent and fantastic toccata, and Hantai type static electricity in the French Overture.

The gigue for 6, which Egarr thinks is the climax of the whole series and a musical depiction of Christ's scourging, is absolutely extraordinary for its intense brutal pain.

Nice Ruckers style instrument well recorded.

Provocative essay on numerology and symbolism by Egarr in the booklet.

I don't know why, I feel like the 6th Sarabande is one of those pieces which seem beautiful as written, but not as played-- I love the piece and can sort of hear in my head how I would like it to be played, but I haven't heard anyone, on harpsichord or piano, play it to my satisfaction. Most of the time, they just play it too fast for me.
Egarr is more or less the same, but added in some quite nice ornaments.

I'm listening to the 2nd right now - so far, I'm impressed with what I'm hearing. I'll report back.

(Is it only me, or did Spotify's audio quality decrease after their re-design of the website? I must be hearing things.)

[bioluminescentsquid]

I don't know why, I feel like the 6th Sarabande is one of those pieces which seem beautiful as written, but not as played-- I love the piece and can sort of hear in my head how I would like it to be played, but I haven't heard anyone, on harpsichord or piano, play it to my satisfaction. Most of the time, they just play it too fast for me.
Egarr is more or less the same, but added in some quite nice ornaments.

I'm listening to the 2nd right now - so far, I'm impressed with what I'm hearing. I'll report back.

(Is it only me, or did Spotify's audio quality decrease after their re-design of the website? I must be hearing things.)

Listened to this again and was pleasantly amazed!
2nd time through, I'm catching a lot of details - fluidity, virtuosity, and brilliance - that I missed in my first listen

[Mandryka]

Listened to this again and was pleasantly amazed!
2nd time through, I'm catching a lot of details - fluidity, virtuosity, and brilliance - that I missed in my first listen

Do have a listen to Siegbert Rampe's partitas if you've got time, they're in spotify,  I love them.

[bioluminescentsquid]

Do have a listen to Siegbert Rampe's partitas if you've got time, they're in spotify,  I love them.

Odd, I can't find it. Sounds promising, though.

But I did find this... thoughts? 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH-QuoPLJU4

[Mandryka]

Odd, I can't find it. Sounds promising, though.

But I did find this... thoughts? 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH-QuoPLJU4

Here's the Rampe

https://play.spotify.com/track/03FSfQshKd956UE4fcGaFA?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

I'll listen to the Hill properly later -- playful like Koopman and expressive like Rubsam

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I just sold that on Amazon--did you by any chance buy it?

I'm enjoying my recent purchase of Sergey Schepkin's re-make. At times I think his playing could use a little more Russian muscle, but there's no denying the clarity and beauty he brings to them.

I like the recording and his French Suites.
FYI, Cornelia Herrmann.  Crispy.

[milk]

Premont shared with in another thread. Wim Winters on clavichord. Wonderful so far. If it were available to buy, I would buy it. I'm almost done with #1 and I'm sold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE-0Ux1PYiU

Should I try Troeger again?  I couldn't get into any of his recordings. And he disappeared it seems like. Maybe I should try him again. My sense is that Winters is more sensitive and expressive. And the instrument on this is more pleasing.
Any other clavichord recordings out there?
Lots of posting of piano here but I wonder which is best. I have Rubsam but it hasn't grabbed me.

[Mandryka]

Any other clavichord recordings out there?

Yes, Yuko Wataya recorded Partita 6, I've never found an affordable copy of the CD.