Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Edwin Fischer :: Bach:The Well-Tempered Clavier

Surprising!

Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 08/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After reading the reviews I managed to obtain a cheap copy of this set and expected the worst/best. After playing the entire thing through at least four times in two days I'd say that if I had to replace it I'd shell out the full price in a second.



First, the sound is good on the early recordings, great on the later. Given that these are 70 years old I was a bit startled and totally pleased. Unless you really can't adapt to older-sounding recordings (a situation I find analogous to not being able to handle silent movies or--to a newer generation--black and white films--sad!) this shouldn't be a factor. Frankly, I find the quality of older recording often charming and less wearing on the ears; a recording from the 1930s often makes for wonderful and atmospheric late night listening.



Second, these are exercises--practice pieces---and as far as this reviewer's concerned anyone can play them any darned way they want to. I mean, why would anyone complain at all about different interpretations of--above all others--THESE short works? A professional pianist should be able to charge into one of them once and a while at full gallop just to see if he or she can do it, or drag one out and milk it for all the sadness one can. There's a tendency these days to get more than a bit weird about performances--we judge them by measures of perfection rather than by expressiveness, passion, or other less quantifiable aspects.



In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say this about that (and risk annoying some with horrid generalizations that happen to be true!). I've noticed in my long lifetime that those who really can't evaluate things in depth and breadth often use detail and superficial ideas of perfection as their standards of excellence. For these types, it's the clothes you wear or the car you drive over who you are or it's by-consensus fancy credentials versus genuine accomplishments. It's perfect, not-a-note-out-of-place audiophile studio recordings in preference to passionate live recordings in imperfect sound; it's trendy, rated, expensive restaurants versus those that actually might serve good food or pricey designer labels over quality fabrication. Literally, a person like this can't look at a work of art and judge it, but they sure can tell if some paint's been slopped a bit or a note hasn't been hit cleanly. Whenever I take an individual like this to task, corner them and ask them to explain-in depth--why they think X is preferable to Y their answer is invariably the eel-like "it's all a matter of taste"--the most irresponsible aesthetic non-judgement possible. Overall, as a culture, sometimes we have real difficulty understanding that good does not always equal perfect. "Perfect" is the realm of math and geometry, not art. Worse we often don't even know what "good" is any more.



With that said, I'd admit that although Fischer misses notes and flubs up a bit, overall this is about the most satisfying WTC I've encountered yet, largely because of the spontaneity and emotion he manifests in most of the pieces. This will be my "keeper" in the same way that the equally flawed and controversial Schnabel Beethoven sonatas will always be my first choice. I find it amusing to think that if Beethoven himself had recorded his sonatas in old scratchy sound and with (almost certainly) plenty of mistakes audio perfectionists would probably still prefer note-perfect renderings by robots.



[Final note: what I mention about our inability to make good judgements is an immense problem in our culture right now, far transcending the intents of this music review. Look around you and see how everything is evaluated these days: Does it make me money? Does it get me power or connections? Does it make me "look good"? Will it get me a good job? Will it get me sex? Does it make me popular or accepted? It's all about opportunism. Far too many people I know are amazed that I do things out of intellectual curiosity, that I learn skills for their own enjoyment, that I study art or music scores, or read books, for the pleasure of finding new things or maybe to find out where I am and what's going on around me. People like myself have always been a minority but seldom have they been so marginalized, as many of you reading these kinds of reviews no doubt know. Never has having a good general knowledge base been so downgraded. Read Barzun (Western Civ.) on the perils of specialization]

"

First and still the best recording of Well-Tempered Clavier

Kalle Kuusava | Lahti, Finland | 05/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was quite amazed when I noticed that no-one has rewiewed this recording! German superpianist Edwin Fischer made first complete recording of this work in 1930's. In my opinion, it's still truly best performance. Other excellent choices are Rosalyn Tureck's, Glenn Gould's and Andras Schiff's recordings. If one wants to listen legendary cembalo version of this work, excellent choice is Wanda Landowska's recording. Edwin Fischer's recording is magical. You can't stop listening to it. After you have heard the first prelude in C major, you have to listen the whole first book of preludes & fugues. And after that, you automatically start the second book. Fischer has very beautiful singing tone. While you listen, you can imagine yourself sitting in a huge church, where a beautiful soprano sings the melody, and a small chamber orchestra makes a great accompanist. Fischer also makes the dynamic differences and the so important thing in Bach, articulation, in natural way. The sound quality is very good, and EMI has managed to put this work in three CD's, each holding up to 80 minutes of this fantastic playing. And it's mid-price. Warmly recommended to every pianist, everyone who likes Bach, and everyone who wants to get to know his music and style. Mind-blowing performance!"

A really great version

Wayne A. | 04/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The sound is a little grey, but the performances are just so bright and warm and luminous. I don't know why the tempi struck another reviewer as weird; they seem unfailingly correct to me. Fischer's performances have an unhurried feeling to them, yet they are also fully focused and full of brio. This is a tough combination of qualities to muster. The individual lines are brought out with great definition, each one with its own special phrasing, very expressive, and very alert to all the music's implications. And there is a sense of humor, and a real tenderness. Although Gould's WTC is still my favorite, I would pick Fischer's treatment over Andras Schiff's, or either of the two Sviatoslav Richter versions I have heard. I waited a long time to hear Fischer because I didn't think I was going to like his approach. Finally I found the Naxos issue of this material at a very low price and decided to check it out. If you love this music you really ought to hear this marvelously satisfying, deeply insightful and musical reading. What a wonderful surprise it was."