Search - Bach, Vladimir Feltsman :: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1

Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Bach, Vladimir Feltsman
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (23) - Disc #2

Pianists appropriating the music of Bach should be aware of what it sounds like on the harpsichord, so they don't lose the clarity and interplay of the lines of his music. Glenn Gould always does this brilliantly, but some...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Bach, Vladimir Feltsman
Title: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Music Masters Jazz
Release Date: 10/12/1993
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Improvisation, Historical Periods, Baroque (c.1600-1750)
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 016126710525

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Pianists appropriating the music of Bach should be aware of what it sounds like on the harpsichord, so they don't lose the clarity and interplay of the lines of his music. Glenn Gould always does this brilliantly, but sometimes Gould's playing is too much head and not enough heart and he can be rather astringent. Vladimir Feltsman, who is becoming a Bach specialist, plays this music with all the clarity you would want, but his tone is a little rounder than Gould's and his approach somewhat more emotional. Unless you believe Bach's music is strictly an intellectual exercise, you should find these performances very attractive and revelatory. --Leslie Gerber

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CD Reviews

Other-worldly
07/13/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"these recordings are the best renditions of bach keyboard works. they are highly intellectual, but hugely emotional at the same time. the clarity of the voices is unique."
Very balanced
FiatLux | Virginia, USA | 12/06/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Note: I do not own the CD's but I own this recording on cassette tape. Two points:



1) Feltsman achieves a golden mean between the "romantic" playing of Richter and the very clear, soft, moderate, and boring Andreas Schiff. Feltsman plays somewhat like Gould and Richter where that makes sense, e.g., Prelude in C minor, Prelude and Fugue in A minor, but manages a clarity much greater than Richter's and roughly equal to Gould's.



2) The sound is good; the two most popular WTC recordings seem to be from Gould and Richter. Both of these suffer somewhat from bad recordings, namely the coughing in Gould's and a "tubby" sounding piano in Richter's. Many people don't care about this but I do.



To sum up: Because of a lack of distinctive style, Feltsman will never achieve a "cult" following that Gould et al. will. However, if you want a recording that is balanced but lively and interesting through the judicious use of fast tempo, dynamic contrast, and distinct phrasing that is RECORDED WELL on MODERN INSTRUMENTS (cough cough hum hum) then this is for you.



This is how I succintly characterize the recordings:

Gould plays the WTC like one plays Chopin.

Richter plays the WTC like one plays Liszt.

Andreas Schiff plays the WTC like one plays Mozart.

Feltsman plays the WTC like one plays Beethoven.



I recommend this and wish that it would appear in the first page of hits on Amazon."