Comparisons:
Gilbert/Harmonia Mundi, Kipnis/Seraphim,
Parmentier/Wildboar, Leonhardt/Deutsche
Harmonia Mundi, Pinnock/Hänssler
I have never heard
a recording from Scott Ross that I didn't
find excellent, and his 1988 performance
of Bach's Partitas for Keyboard is no
exception. Best known for his immense
undertaking of recording all the Keyboard
Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti for the
Erato label, Ross has an unerring sense
of rhythmic flow and pacing that extends
from Frescobaldi and the great Italian
baroque composers to the Austro/Germanic
masters including Handel and Bach.
I would like to review
the Ross set through reference to the
excellent comparison versions in the
heading. This way, readers will hopefully
have a fair idea of the distinctions
among the six sets and what to expect
from each.
Gustav Leonhardt needs
little introduction. He was one of the
early pioneers of historically informed
performance practices and is much revered
for his artistry and inspiration as
both keyboardist and conductor. Any
reservations concerning his approach
to historical performance tend to revolve
around the theme that he is overly austere
with diminished zest for the vitality
and youthfulness of the music he performs.
I find that Leonhardt's austerity is
mostly on the surface and that close
listening reveals a wide range of emotional
content.
Such is the case with
Leonhardt's 1983 performance of the
Partitas. The severe and sharp veneer
is certainly present, but Bach's musical
joy is also part of Leonhardt's menu.
His performances are informed with an
incisive introspection, excellent detail,
concentrated energy, poignant Allemandes
and Sarabandes, and sufficient exuberance
in the fast movements. Concerning the
fast movements, Leonhardt often employs
rather slow tempos in order to clarify
each musical line. Ross is distant from
Leonhardt's aesthetics, offering minimal
severity and little priority on the
detail of the myriad musical lines.
Instead, he is buoyant throughout with
great joy. Tempos are well within the
mainstream, and the fast movements bring
an excitement rarely conveyed by Leonhardt.
Edward Parmentier does
not enjoy the reputation afforded Leonhardt,
but his Wildboar/Bach recordings are
a treasure to many serious Bach record
collectors. Like Leonhardt, his tempos
in the fast movements tend to be slowish.
This allows for exquisite detail, and
I think it's fair to say that no version
of the Partitas brings out Bach's architectural
splendor as convincingly as Parmentier's
1991 set; his use of hesitations and
the staggering of musical lines is particularly
rewarding. At the same time, I do have
a bit of skepticism concerning Parmentier's
emotional investment in this music.
Emotional investment is no problem at
all for Scott Ross, as can be clearly
heard in his wonderful Sarabandes and
overall inflections. Ross isn't one
to make much use of hesitations or staggering
musical lines, preferring a relatively
straight-line approach to the Partitas.
A comparison between
Parmentier and Ross is not complete
without comment on the dance elements
in the Partitas. With Parmentier's performances,
the dancing nature of many of the movements
is largely neglected, while Ross highlights
this feature as often as possible. Essentially,
there is no set of the Partitas as alive
to the dance characteristics as Ross's.
Igor Kipnis seems to
have been with us forever, offering
performances that dig intently into
the human condition. So it is with his
1977 recordings of the Partitas. No
other harpsichord version is as penetrating
as the Kipnis, and his set also possesses
the greatest degree of variety in the
repeating of sections. Unfortunately,
his wealth of ornamentation can sometimes
sound self-indulgent. Although Ross
is certainly less creative with his
repeats, they are sufficiently varied
through use of leaner textures.
Trevor Pinnock's 1999
set on Hänssler has much to offer
in terms of exuberance and a totally
unmannered delivery, the Ross set being
quite similar in this regard. However,
Pinnock does glide over the emotional
depth of the Allemandes and Sarabandes,
and Ross always conveys a fine sense
of poignancy in these movements.
There is only one harpsichord
set that I favor over the Ross, and
it comes from Kenneth Gilbert in his
1984-85 performances of the Partitas
on Harmonia Mundi. The phrasing is so
natural that I feel I'm listening to
Bach play in his home. Given performances
that glow with warmth and understanding,
the Ross set must take second place
to Gilbert's.
Concerning sound quality,
Ross is given excellent sound for the
time period although it is a little
shallow in depth. For a truly exceptional
soundstage, the Parmentier and Pinnock
sets fill the bill. The Kipnis, Gilbert,
and Leonhardt sets are roughly equal
in sound quality to the Ross.
For those who prefer
Bach on piano, there are exceptional
sets of the Partitas from Rosalyn Tureck
on Philips, Wolfgang Rubsam on Naxos,
and the one and only Glenn Gould for
Sony. Clearly, there is an abundance
of riches for recordings of the Partitas,
and Scott Ross presents one of the best
versions available. His life-affirming
and vibrant interpretations should provide
many hours of joyous listening to those
who acquire the recordings.
Don Satz
Scott Ross, harpsichord 
