BACH: Partitas No. 1, 3, 4 – Andrew Violette, piano – [Avail. from cdbaby.com/cd/andrewviolette2], 74:49 **1/2:
Andrew Violette is a composer and pianist of no little note who has decided to turn his thoughts to a favorite composer, Bach. This appears to be a vanity production, the first two of four projected discs, which is fine, as it is often difficult to find labels these days willing to take a chance, and some of the smaller ones are turning out the best productions.
But I wish I could be more positive beyond this. The notes tell us that “Those who know Mr. Violette’s own compositions know that they extend the physical, mental, and structural limits of what has hitherto been thought possible.” Aside from not knowing exactly what this means, the statement certainly seems in extremis when we consider the entire history of western music! And when we hear that “…what distinguishes [Violette’s] performances is that they challenge, even alter, commonplace perceptions of time and mood” we must certainly get out the salt. The notes continue with more hyperbole.
I mention this not to belittle anyone, but to point out that the performances on this disc have a lot to live up to according to the overindulgent notes. Quite simply, they do not. Mr. Violette has a fine technique, a little cramped in some of his ornaments, but this is Bach that is hard and graceless. He possesses a tendency to emphasize the strong beats with a considerable thud, and his pianism in general lacks the splendid grace and flow that so characterizes the performances of Murray Perahia. Gone also is the dramatic sense of contrast and nuance that Argerich has (especially in the second Partita), or the splendid sense of orchestral proportion that Ralph Kirkpatrick’s old Archiv harpsichord recordings have (again the Partitas, currently on Boston Skyline). He does have a nice evenness of line in his contrapuntal activities, but I generally find these reading to be angry Bach, overly-intellectualized, and devoid of the profoundly human spirit that so enlivens the best performances. [And the speed of some of the selections is the fastest Bach on piano I’ve ever heard…Ed.]
On top of it all, the sound is compressed and a little dead, more noticeable when compared to the recordings I mentioned above.
— Steven Ritter
