Search - Bach, Kenneth Gilbert :: Bach Edition: Italian Concerto

Intriguing

06/10/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm just not sure how else to describe this CD. I don't feel particularly qualified to talk about Vier Duette or Ouverture nach franzosischer Art (although I enjoy them), so I'll just use the Italian COncerto as the example.Mr. Gilbert takes it very, very slow. THe first movement is supposed to be around 104 bpm....I think at one point he gets up into the low 90s...but most of it is in between 80 and 90 bpm. Which to some people would be very plodding...however the way Kenneth Gilbert works the harpsichord, it comes off as very grandiose at the beginning (a grand march of an intro), and then turns into very light and playful (even at the slower tempo). This works for me just fine.What is particularly impressive is how light and happy he makes the harpsichord sound. The 1st movement has a beautiful feel to it - he makes it sound very easy... as though it is rolling off his fingers. This is, of course, precisely how it SHOULD sound. Also, he does an excellent job of bringing the melody out (which very frequently is in the left hand under a showy display of right-hand prowess).The second movement, is also very slow. But not too slow. Somehow, he pulls this off...it retains a lot of its subtlety without getting boring.The third movement is a fun romp when done by Kenneth Gilbert. The music just dances - again perfect for what Bach had intended.The major issue here is the tempo...it took a little while to grow on me, but I have come to find that Gilbert really makes the music sing at this tempo and is thus able to keep it interesting. Also, at this tempo, I feel the true colors of the harpsichord really come out.Which brings another problem - harpsichord or piano? Peter Serkin released a CD in which he plays this (and the Goldberg Variations) on a piano...and I like the piano quite a bit more. However, the harpsichord is more traditional, so we are getting out Italian Concerto here as Bach intended. Take your pick.Final verdict: this is a worthwhile album to purchase. You may not like the tempo, but give it a chance...I'm sure it'll grow on you."

Fierce and Powerful

H. Lim | Carlingford, NSW Australia | 12/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"


Once I got a two CD edition of Rosalyn Tureck playing the Goldberg Variations. I didn't like the performance much, but appended to it was a performance of the French Overture. I became absolutely obsessed with this piece, and I still think it is an underrated masterpiece.



Whereas Rosalyn Tureck's interpretation is haunting and brings out the sense of tragedy in the French Overture, the Gilbert interpretation is almost violent in its intensity. While I prefer Ms Tureck's Sarabande and Bouree (which has a sense of immense loss and introspection followed by a kind of demon's dance in the Bouree) Gilbert's fierce interpretation is also very impressive. His use of the harpsichord seems to propel the listener through the piece, with a sense of excitement that does not occur in Tureck.

I must say Tureck's performance is still superior in every respect. Specifically the Sarabande, which GIlbert interprets rather shallowly and quickly, and the following Bouree, are the centre of the piece in Tureck but are mere component parts here. Nevertheless, an energy filled performance that has cemented my love for Gilbert's interpretations of Bach - his Goldbergs are my favourite version/"