Search - Bach, Gould :: French Suites Nos 1-4

Quintessential Bach...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 12/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Taking a bird's-eye view of Sebastian's oeuvre what do we see?



We see: (1) a large amount of church music [cantatas, masses, passions etc.]; (2) some secular orchestral music [concerti, suites]; (3) a large quantity of "free" organ music; (4) a goodly body of works for various solo instruments [flute, lute, violin, cello]; (5) finally, a large set of "free" works for keyboard other than organ--which would have been harpsichord or clavichord in Bach's day, and now of course piano.



This last category includes many sets of stylized dances and various works of developing variation--(toccatas, partitas, and suites). Of these all, the "French" suites may be seen as the very most utterly characteristic of Sebastian's ethos and aesthetic.



And of all recorded realizations of the French Suites, this single disc by Glenn Gould presents a most satisfying artistic experience--which is to say, an experience which approaches something close to the spiritual, while at the same time satisfying the highest critical-cognizant requirements of the human mind.



Especially notable are the first three suites in the severe and spicy minor keys which so spoke to Bach's own ethos: S.812-14 in d, c, and b, respectively. These suites feature a nearly uniform set of dances--(allemande [allegro], courante [allegro], sarabande [adagio or largo], minuet [allegro], and gigue [vivace])--and exibit the developing variation technique which was so admired later by Brahms and Schönberg.



[NOTE: Schönberg's own piano Suite (Op.25) is an incredible through-the-looking-glass mirror image and tribute to Bach's French Suites.]

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