Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Friedrich Gulda :: Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2

A much more convincing approach

Gideon Haran | Tel-Aviv Israel | 11/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gulda, a musical rebel, is exploring these pieces and the result is different from all other performances. For example, Gulda uses very slow tempos, never recorded before.
Except for some peices, P&F can (and to my mind) should be played much slower on piano then what we are used to.
Also, Gulda manages true counterpoint and voice separation is perfect.
Some people would say Gulda is being ffff especially in fugue expositions but the way he does it makes sense to me.
If you need a single example of the greatness of Gulda listen to the P&F in c (Do minor) of WTC II.
If you can afford it - buy Gould , Gulda and Tureck and listen to each P&F and compare them.
Gulda has put so much musical knowledge, broadness of horizons and inner vision to these pieces that it may take more then one listening session to grasp how monumental his performance can be.
This is a desert island CD."

Best WTC

Max Berglund | Stockholm, Sweden | 12/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my opinion the best recording of the WTC. Gulda gives very personal readings while remaining true to the score. Some people may find the preludes a bit rough and loud, but Gulda only plays that way when it suits the music. He also presents some of the best versions yet heard, like the preludes in C major, E major and F minor. The fugues, on the other hand, are unbeliavable: crystal clear and razor sharp. Gulda's choice of rather slow tempos comes to wonderful effect in fugues like the C minor, D sharp minor and F sharp minor (which, played by Gulda, is one of my favorite pieces of music all categories). I fully agree with the reviewer before - with the WTC you should get to know quite a few versions in order to find what's most to your liking. As for me, I've listened a lot to Gould's, Jandó's and Richter's recordings apart from this one. They all have great qualities, but If I was forced to choose only one which to listen to in the future (horrible thought) Gulda's is the one."

Illuminating and Inspiring Too

BLee | HK | 12/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Gulda is so impressive in his interpretations. There are perhaps a piece or two where he perhaps went too far: the opening prelude in C is rather fast rather at the expense of lyricism. Likewise, the prelude in F is too fast to delight the general audience.



But Gulda's sense of momentum is so remarkable ( Martha, his former pupil, must have got it from him.) This momentum-- an important factor of the sense of urgency-- call be seen in Fugue in C, Fugue in C Sharp Minor, Fugue in G Minor, and Prelude in B, in fact almost all pieces.Moreover, despite some occasional harsh hotes, Gulda was very lyrical and poetic on the whole.



In conclusion, they are rather illuminating, and the price is good too. the recorded sound is also slightly better than Richter's set.

























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