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BACH: Italian Con.; Four Duets; Partita Nos. 1 & 3; Fantasia; Aria – Rafal Blechacz, p. – DGG

BACH: Italian Con.; Four Duets; Partita Nos. 1 & 3; Fantasia; Aria – Rafal Blechacz, p. – DGG

by | Apr 1, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Rafal Blechacz transfers his natural affinity for Chopin to the music of Chopin’s idol, Sebastian Bach. BACH: Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971; Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825; Four Duets, BWV 802-805; Fantasia and Fugue in a minor, BWV 944; Partita No. 3 in a minor, BWV 827; Jesus bleibet meine Freude (arr. Hess) BWV 147 – Rafal Blechacz, piano – DGG 479 5534, 65:54 (3/3/17) [Distr. by Universal] ****: Polish piano virtuoso Rafal Blechacz (b. 1985) transfers his penchant for Chopin to selected works by Bach that highlight the close relationship between the ancient harpsichord and modern keyboard sonority, insofar as Blechacz – following in the Glenn Gould tradition – means to impart lyrical clarity as the main ingredient in the Bach contrapuntal ethos. Blechacz has chosen particular works from Bach’s Clavier-Uebungen as his source, works collected in a series of four volumes, 1735-1741. Many of the pieces present dance music of varied national styles, as well as virtuoso works that display the capacity of the keyboard to imitate the manuals of the harpsichord or the deep sonority and spacious range of the organ. A fine example of Blechacz’s approach comes to us by way […]

CLERAMBAULT & MARCHAND – Mahugo, harpsichord – Brilliant; “20th-Century Harpsichord Music” – C.D. Lewis – Naxos

CLERAMBAULT & MARCHAND – Mahugo, harpsichord – Brilliant; “20th-Century Harpsichord Music” – C.D. Lewis – Naxos

by | Aug 4, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Two fascinating solo harpsichord CDs for your collection. LOUIS-NICHOLAS CLERAMBAULT & LOUIS MARCHAND: Complete Harpsichord Music – Yago Mahugo, harpsichord – Brilliant Classics 94790, 77:20 (Distr. by Naxos) ****: “20th Century Harpsichord Music” Wrks of POULENC, FRANCAIX, MARTINU & DUREY – Christopher D. Lewis, harpsichord – Naxos 8.573364, 60:05 (10/9/15) ****: Clerambault and Marchan are typical of the French harpsichord style of the first half of the 18th century. The two suites by each composer, plus the four short works are grand, stately and have lavish embellishments in perfect accord with the life of the court at Versailles at the time, led by the Sun King Louis the XIV. Recorded in 2014 in Italy, this is the first CD to assemble all the known harpsichord works of both composers on one disc. The harpsichordist was featured on a previous Brilliant CD of the harpsichord works of Royer and played on the “CD of the Month” chosen by a Spanish magazine. TrackList: CLERAMBUALT: Suite in C; Suite in c minor; Prelude in G; MARCHAND: Suite in d; Suite in g; La Venitienne; Badine; Gavotte Even though Wanda Landowska played on a heavy Playel of Paris harpsichord which was more like a […]