BACH: Toccata in D, BWV 912; Capriccio sopra la lontananza, BWV 992; Fantasia and Fugue in a, BWV 904; Italian Concerto, BWV 971; Aria 1 from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988; Concerto in C for 2 Harpsichords, BWV 1061a – James Tibbles, Jenny Thomas (Concerto in C), harpsichord – Atoll 509, 75:25 [Distr. by Naxos] ***:
This is a mixed bag of Bach harpsichord music that is at times satisfying and at times frustrating. The reason for the disc would seem to be to demonstrate the capabilities of the harpsichord built by New Zealand keyboard builder Paul Downie, who has modeled his instrument on Christian Zell’s 1728 two-manual harpsichord currently residing in Hamburg. Pictures in the notes show both instruments to be visual stunners, and though even an exact copy in no way guarantees the genuineness of any instrument, I can report that the sound here is excellent indeed; rich overtones in the harpsichord’s lower register, with reverberating and yet non-shrill upper tones make for a fine-sounding experience.
James Tibbles, currently head of the Early Music Department of the School of Music at the University of Auckland, has impressive credentials in the field, and he has wisely stayed away from the more popular Bach pieces in the repertory with the exception of a couple. Entering into that fray invites rigorous comparisons. His Italian Concerto seems top-heavy, hard on the downbeats, and rather plodding. Comparing it to Maggie Cole’s lilting and fleet recording on Virgin Classics shows what’s missing. Tibbles is convinced that the Fantasie and Fugue, BWV 904, is not a tied composition but actually two separate works, played together only since the nineteenth century; this is not a new argument, the pieces probably composed in Leipzig around 1739. But regardless, the fact of the matter is that this is the way we hear it today, and everyone expects their Fantasy to not be sans fugue. Tibbles, in what seems an academic conceit in order to make a point, splits the two pieces up, sticking the Italian Concerto between them, and the results are disconcerting to say the least. For a traditional setting that has never been beat, just listen to Ralph Kirkpatrick’s recording on DGG Archiv from 1961.
The divorced Aria from the Goldberg Variations is also present, and while it makes a nice contrast element the excision feels contrived and out of place. My favorite tracks on this disc are the bookends—a lively and well done Toccata in D framed with a C-major Concerto for Two Harpsichords (minus the strings—another version) that sparkles from first to last, and is not often heard in this format. This was an inspired choice to end this recital.
— Steven Ritter
