Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893
Samuel Feinberg (piano)
rec. 1958-1961, Moscow
RUSSIAN RCD16231 [4 CDs: 221:154]
This is a re-issue of a Russian Classical set that has been available on-and-off since the mid-1990s. The latest copyright to be found on the review copy is from 2012 (“Europe RCD”), but the packaging and the transfers appear to be from the 1996 original CD issue. The sound is acceptable, presenting Samuel Feinberg’s pianism clearly, yet confining it to a boxy acoustic.
The limited acoustic is a shame, as Feinberg was an excellent performer of “Romantic” Bach. By “Romantic,” I mean that he plays with a great deal of color, allowing for a wide variety of dynamic levels and shapes. He is not afraid to use the pedal, but he uses it discreetly. Although he does not shy away from the occasional slow tempo, tempi are generally swift. He applies lavish dollops of rubato, enough to shock a purist, but never strays beyond the bounds of good taste into eccentricity or mannerism. Feinberg’s vital and imaginative approach presents a living, breathing Bach, a potent antidote to the Bach-as-museum piece treatment we often encounter in modern concert halls.
Some things will surprise (or irk) the modern listener. Historically informed performance (HIP) mavens will wince upon hearing Feinberg enthusiastically highlighting every appearance of the fugue subject throughout each of the fugues. His articulation is very smooth, legato almost to a fault in a manner that often provokes a desire for more variety. When Feinberg decides that a fast tempo is warranted, he goes for broke (the C Minor prelude of the WTC I, for example), so it can be jarring when he slams on the brakes to savor a progression or particularly interesting cadence. Some of the pieces seem heavy and over-emphatic in his hands (the Prelude in D Major from WTC II, for example); others feature sudden accents followed by diminuendi that make one feel a bit seasick (Prelude in D minor from WTC II).
This is an engaging and thought-provoking rendition of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Feinberg’s recording has achieved something of a cult status for many listeners, but it strikes me as being a very good performance without achieving true desert island status. My primary candidate for that mystical musical island would be Edwin Fischer (EMI or Naxos), who is even more colorful than Feinberg, but manages to find that color in the context of a stricter pulse. He utilizes a wider range of articulations, creates more intense characters for each prelude and fugue, and plays with a pronounced sense of joy and discovery.
Richard Masters
