Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Levin :: Bach: English Suites Nos 1-6, BWV 806-811 (Edition Bachakademie Vol 113) /Levin (piano)

A piano performance to win over harpsichord die-hards

Richard Walker | Canberra, Australia | 06/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a huge Robert Levin fan but a "Bach on piano" sceptic. In the liner notes Levin comments on his own enjoyment of playing Bach on either piano or harpsichord. What comes across is that, like his frequent collaborator John Eliot Gardiner, he takes a more pragmatic approach to historically-informed performance than others. (Was that something they learned during their studies with Nadia Boulanger?) There is, of course, no compromise when it comes to musicality - Levin has a profound understanding of the logic of the music, expressed in phrasing and articulation, "notes inegales", and the details of the ornamentation.



Speaking of ornamentation, Levin's approach is what I expected given my experience of his improvised cadenzas in Mozart and Beethoven. You will most certainly not hear a note-for-note performance of the score - each piece has the feel of an extended improvisation. (If more pianists - and harpsichordists! - had the knowledge and technique of Levin, Jacques Loussier's Bach arrangements would be superfluous.) All of the repeats are performed in full, and each repeat is a fresh, new experience - unlike with so many other performers who have a "play it safe" approach.



I am firmly convinced that many people are put off Bach because of hearing mediocre performances. This recording convinced me even more that merely playing Bach on a harpsichord is not enough. Whatever doubts I might have had about the choice of instrument are rendered completely irrelevant by Levin's virtuosity and the sheer joy expressed in the performance."

Robert Levin rocks Bach

Richard Walker | 06/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own Robert Levin's "Well-Tempered Clavier" and was supremely impressed. I go back to it often; perhaps moreso than the 4 other versions I own. I figured he couldn't go wrong with Bach, so I bought his "English Suites" and was proven right. His playing is superb and the recording is crystal clear. I highly recommend this CD."