Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Rubsam :: J.S. Bach: Partitas Nos. 1 and 2

Excellent...but quite unusual.

B. Lee | Chicago, IL USA | 10/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rubsam's Bach Partitas and other piano recordings (English and French Suites) have received much acclaims from various reviewers, especially from those on bach-cantatas.com. His interpretatins are quite quirky. Tempi are very slow in general. The music is so so stretched that it sometimes sounds as if the pianist is playing Grieg's "Lyric Pieces" and even slow jazz. Rubsam obviously undertook a lot of thinking and calculation in preparing these recordings. His playing has lyrical and searching qualities, while it does not always sound natural. His interpretation is deeper than most, and never boring. But Bach's Partitas are, first and foremost, about rhythm and polyphony. They were originally dance music. I can imagine somebody dancing while listening to rhytmically keen renditions of this music; for example, those by Sharon Mann and Craig Sheppard. But I cannot imagine anyone dancing while listening to Rubsam. Perhaps only slow dance, LOL."