RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier - Book 2
Pietro De Maria (piano)
rec. 2-4 January 2015, Auditorium del Suffragio, Lucca
DECCA 481 2361 [75:07 + 77:05]
Hot on the heels of Pietro De Maria’s impressive first
instalment of the Well-Tempered Clavier, which I reviewed
several months ago, comes Book II, eagerly anticipated. I must confess that
I have always had a slight preference for Bach’s second set, composed
twenty-two years after the first, in 1744. I also have a predilection for
versions played on the modern concert grand.
De Maria commands a formidable technique with immaculate finish, and profound
musicianship, which he places at the service of the music. These are probing
accounts, all the more successful for the intelligent and well thought out
choices he’s made regarding tempi, dynamics and phrasing. Everything
seems convincing and works well. Far from being a sequence of dry, academic
exercises, this pianist breathes new life into these richly constructed works.
Ornamentation is varied, idiomatic, discreet and never obtrusive, rubato subtle
and minimally applied, if at all. Pedalling is sparing in the achievement
of colour and tonal shading, never at any time blurring the textures. The
playing is stylish, with no unwanted accentuation. Staccato is lightly applied,
and the counterpoint is teased out with clarity and definition.
To get a taster of the exceptional quality of De Maria’s playing, take
the Prelude and Fugue in C sharp major, BWV 872. He brings poise, elegance
and simplicity to the arpeggiando character of the first part of the prelude.
This contrasts with the witty humour of the fugue, realized with some crisply
articulated staccato. The following Prelude in C sharp minor has a probing
introspection, whilst the beautiful B flat minor Prelude, a miniature trio
sonata in all but name, is ideally paced, with the polyphonic lines sensitively
articulated. There’s a calm, spacious feeling to the Prelude in F major,
and a nervous spikiness to the Fugue. De Maria coaxes come luscious sonorities
from the piano in the Prelude in F sharp minor, evoking a mood of serenity
and tranquillity. I’m enamoured by the intimate conversational tone
of the D sharp minor Fugue, and the darker elements are brought home in the
bold nobility of the G minor Prelude. No-one can fail to be won over by the
confident exuberance and affability the pianist lavishes on the B major Prelude,
and the Prelude in D minor is delivered with rhythmic buoyancy and elan. The
delicacy of the G major Prelude is made all the more endearing by De Maria’s
gossamer touch; this is extended to the Fugue, where the contrapuntal strands
are deftly picked out.
When I reviewed the first volume, I was particularly taken by the audio quality
the Decca engineers had achieved. Once again, the Auditorium del Suffragio,
Lucca provides a fitting venue for Book two, conferring a comfortable immediacy
on the piano sound, it’s warm, intimate ambience being second-to-none;
it’s generous acoustic particularly sympathetic to the contrapuntal
detail of the music. Marco Vincenzi has provided some enlightening annotations
in Italian with English translation.
Bach’s ‘Forty-Eight’ is well-served on CD and, over the
years, I have amassed quite a few cycles. There are two favorites, outstanding
in my view - András Schiff’s second cycle on ECM, and the less well-known
but equally distinguished traversal on Nonesuch, recorded by Edward Aldwell.
I can confidently add Pietro De Maria’s compelling vision to this illustrious
duo and, as was the case with his Book I, I have no hesitation in awarding
this latest release a ‘Recording of the Month’.
Stephen Greenbank
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