The Daily Telegraph called the brothers Peter and Zoltán Katona “the
classical world’s best known guitar duo”. Such fame, once earned, might
occasionally induce the attitude “now we can do what we want”, and sometimes
that’s what they do. After all, they included percussion and electric
guitars in their
de Falla album – a questionable but definitely interesting
decision.
Here we have a programme of Bach transcriptions made by the brothers
themselves, and it is pure quality. This is a thoughtful, balanced and
beautiful recording, where everything seems to stand in the right place.
The
Fifth French Suite, originally written in G major, was
transcribed by the arrangers into D. It starts with a cool and fluent
Allemande. As so often in Bach’s major-key Allemandes, there are
blues behind the smile. The performance of the lively
Courante is
filigree, with all the layers clearly visible. The soaring
Sarabande is gentle and full of loving warmth reminiscent of the
Air on a G String. It is followed by an elegant
Gavotte
and
Bourrée, then a meditative
Loure with echoes and
reflections, and finally a joyous, colourful
Gigue. The latter is
busy like a babbling brook, an infectiously inextinguishable dance. The
performers display light-hearted simplicity, natural-sounding cheerfulness
and expressivity without pressure.
The
Third English Suite — G minor, here transcribed to D minor —
is painted in colder hues. It starts with a fluid
Prelude that runs
smoothly and confidently. This is followed by a wistful expressive
Allemande. The
Courante is serious; the
Sarabande
static and pensive. A pair of lively
Gavottes follows, the first
one plaintive and agitated, the second smiling and assertive, before we
enter the vast troubled sea of the
Gigue. The performance combines
elegance with smart emotion, it is not all wide and even. On the other hand
there is no forced sentiment. The result is solemn and beautiful.
It is not known whether
Prelude, Fugue and Allegro were supposed
to stand as an independent composition, or were planned to be part of a
bigger suite. The calm and friendly
Prelude is followed by a long
serene
Fugue, which is smooth, relaxed and full of soft light. The
Courante-like
Allegro is insistent and positive, and brings
Protestant thoughts about the joys of devoted labour. The performance is
inspired, with subtle shading and good leading of voices.
The
E-minor Suite is airy and cool. The
Praeludio starts
with a pregnant
Passagio that leads into a cold dance
(
Presto). A hushed
Allemande is followed by a dry, courtly
Courante.
Sarabande is like a prayer and sounds antique
and almost static. A gallant
Bourrée leads into a swirling
Gigue, which reminds me of one of those optical illusions where
colour-striped circles rotate in different directions. The performance is
sensitive and balanced.
Overall, the playing is technically excellent and effortless, without
microscopic pauses before difficult chords and without extra-musical squeaks
and hisses when the fingers move along the strings. The guitar is naturally
an instrument of chords, but in this performance it truly sings.
The impression left by these works is different from when played on a
modern piano; it feels more authentic. This may be because the guitar sounds
much like the lute of Bach’s time, while the modern piano has a definitely
non-authentic 'signature'. If compared to the harpsichord, I
would still prefer the guitar interpretation; I find it easier to listen to
in the long run, due to its larger expressive means and less uniform
sound.
The two brothers play with care and confidence, with expressive
intonation, letting Bach’s wisdom shine through. Much of the music here is
decorative in nature, and the musicians do not try to turn it into something
it isn’t, by artificially squeezing deep
emotions out of elegant dances. Yet they don’t make the music sound bland
and simple either.
The recording quality is very good, full and friendly. The liner notes are
in English, German and French, but do not really say much. I will definitely
return to this album when I feel that I want to hear some good Bach. There
are no eccentric decisions or strange choices in the interests of being
different. There are many moments of palpable beauty. What else can one wish
for?
Oleg Ledeniov
