Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier - Book 2, BWV 870-893 [131:23]
Andrea Bacchetti (piano)
rec. March 2021, Bartokstudio, Bernareggio, Italy.
ARTHAUS MUSIK 109452 [62:59 + 68:24]
Andrea Bacchetti has delivered some very fine Bach recordings over the years. I particularly like his first Goldberg Variations (review) which is also on the Arthaus Musik label, but Bacchetti has also recorded for Italian Decca, Sony Classical and Dynamic, and all of his recordings have something to recommend them even if they are not always entirely consistent when it comes to recording quality, something to which we will return in this Well-Tempered Clavier.
Andrea Bacchetti’s Bach has a little of Glenn Gould’s spiky intellectualism, with also some of that artist’s tendency to extremes of tempi. Some of these performances have a feeling of being quick without actually being truly fast, such as the Prelude in D major, in which some of the runs become somewhat excitable and congested at times. The flow of the following fugue shows Bacchetti’s softer touch, the layering of dynamics allowing each entry to sing out. Rubato is an interesting feature in the playing in some of these preludes and fugues. Bacchetti has an expressive elasticity which works well enough, if going further than many in this regard. There are also one or two moments where he almost seems to pause for a gulp of air, as if the piano was a wind instrument. These are all part of some of the individualist quirks that make up for a highly personal account of this music and thank heavens for that - where would we be if they all sounded the same?
Bacchetti’s recordings in the past have often used a Fazioli instrument, but the piano recorded here is a Bösendorfer, situated in what feels like a fairly small studio acoustic. This doesn’t sound too bad, but the balance doesn’t have all of the rich, expressive tone you would hope for in a modern piano recording. The mid/upper register has a mildly nasal quality with a silvery ‘ping’ to the colour, and the bass register is a bit tubby. Either these are qualities inherent in the instrument or we are still in search for a more transparently neutral spectrum. One’s ears can adjust to this kind of thing, and to give this every chance I put my usual headphones aside and had a good listen on my Genelec studio speakers. With the volume turned up a little higher than I normally would, things seemed to slot into place a little better, but the feeling of the piano being recorded in a rather narrow cupboard-like space persisted. This is a shame, since Andrea Bacchetti’s Bach deserves better, and I am more than a little surprised and saddened to have to spend so much time on this in a review that should be all about the music.
Andrea Bacchetti’s fine touch and keen intellect is all on show here, and ignoring any issues with the sound it is easy to find his Bach stimulating and refreshing. There is an animated and ‘alive’ feel to this playing that would certainly prevent you from falling asleep in a live performance, and Bacchetti is not afraid to use the full dynamic range of the piano. This is allied to a detailed approach to articulation, and we get full value in something like the Fugue in E minor though there are one or two moments of extreme confluence here where the notes rather spill over into each other. Contrasts abound, as the lyricism of the following Prelude in F major illustrates. Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier has a reputation for being the more rigorous of the two books, but Bacchetti’s playing is often friendly and playful. This in any case is not Bach in Calvanist mood, but Bacchetti’s flourishes in something like the Fugue in F-sharp major fly off in all kinds of delightful directions, and there is enough wit and good humour to be found here to connect us to a composer who fathered 20 children and clearly lived life to the full. Bacchetti doesn’t wallow in slow tempi, but there is ruminative reflection to be found here as well in the Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp minor. J.S. Bach’s worlds are all visited in such a magnificent cycle, and Andrea Bacchetti is as ever a remarkable guide; talking of which, the excellent booklet notes by Christopher Axworthy also include insights to each prelude and fugue.
Many piano recordings of the Well-Tempered Clavier have both books together in one set, but there are a few labels that offer them separately. You can still find Jenö Jandó’s version on the Naxos label which, if less individualist in character when compared to Bacchetti, is certainly pretty amazing. Pietro De Maria’s Decca recording impressed Stephen Greenbank (review), and Sir András Schiff’s live BBC Proms recording from 2018 is certainly worth a look (review). I’ll always have time for Andrea Bacchetti and I’m glad to have heard his Book 2, but I just wish that piano sound was more appealing.
Dominy Clements
