Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Complete Keyboard Concertos
CD 1
Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 [22:55]
Concerto in E major BWV 1053 [18:51]
Concerto in D major BWV 1054 [16:16]
CD 2
Concerto in A major BWV 1055 [13:26]
Concerto in F minor BWV 1056 [10:08]
Concerto in F major BWV 1057 [15:59]
Concerto in G minor BWV 1058 [13:15]
CD 3
Italian Concerto in F major BWV 971 [12:25]
Double Concerto in C minor BWV 1060 [15:38]
Double Concerto in C major BWV 1061 [18:57]
Double Concerto in C minor BWV 1062 [15:23]
CD 4
Triple Concerto in A minor BWV 1044 [21:28]
Triple Concerto in D minor BWV 1063 [15:38]
Triple Concerto in C major BWV 1064 [18:47]
András Schiff (piano and director)
Peter Serkin (piano, BWV 1060-1064)
Bruno Canino (piano, BWV 1063, 1064)
Aurèle Nicolet (flute, BWV 1044)
Yuuko Shiokawa (violin, BWV 1044)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe (BWV 1052-1058)
Camerata Bern (BWV 1044, 1060-1064)
rec. Grosser Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna, 24-26 January 1989 (BWV 1052-1058);
Temple Guillaume Farel, La Chaux-de Fonds, Switzerland, 12-13 April 1992 (BWV
1060-1062); Psychiatrische Klinik, Münsterlingen, Switzerland, 7-9 June
1993 (BWV 1044, 1063, 1064)
DECCA 478 2363 [4 CDs: 53:02 + 52:46 + 62:18 + 55:53]
All considerations to one side, this is a comprehensive if not entirely complete
collection of Bach’s keyboard concertos on a world class record label
for not a great deal of money. So we’re starting off very well indeed.
I’m not that keen on the ‘postmarked package’ design for
this series of re-issues: if you’re going to use all those colours in
the printing then it might as well look classy rather than flaky and low rent,
but that’s a question of personal taste.
Now there is the issue of Bach on the piano. I’m really not bothered
about what Bach is played on as long as the magic is communicated, and I really
like Bach’s solo works on piano when played by masters such as Schiff,
Angela Hewitt and the like. The concertos are a different kettle of fish however,
and this is a place where as a rule I’ve had a preference for harpsichord
rather than piano. There are clear reasons for this. To start with, the strings
of an orchestra go very far in supplying the variety in dynamics which a harpsichord
obviously cannot create, and I love the variety in texture created by plucked
against bowed strings. The harpsichord is also a far better instrument for
mixing with the string sound. A piano will always sound like a piano, whereas
the harpsichord can mingle and hide, adding rhythmic punch and tonal sparkle,
but capable of being absorbed into a more substantial wash of string sound
where required. You would after all never expect to find a modern grand used
as a continuo instrument.
This said, András Schiff is never less than entirely musical in his
Bach playing, and the qualities in his solo work do carry through to the pieces
in this collection. The solo concertos cover the first two discs, and are
performed very well indeed. Bouncy outer movements and generally fleet tempi
meet expressive and involving central movements in a sonic feast which should
bring a smile to your face and a lift to your soul. The opening to BWV
1054 is perhaps a little stern, but the central Adagio e piano sempre
will usually soften the heart, as it does here. There is a heaviness to the
opening movement of the Concert in F minor BWV 1056 which later performers
such as Angela Hewitt have raised somewhat with the application of a little
more of that historically informed style, but again, the disarmingly transparent
simplicity of the following Largo wins you back. The Concerto in
F major BWV 1057 with its flute duet obbligato also pops up on disc 2,
and while the opening Allegro might have been a bit lighter and swifter
there are some charming little ornamental extras. Listen to the opening of
the following Andante, where Schiff makes the piano answer to the orchestral
theme sound like a tiny musical box. For some reason the last movements of
all these concertos suffer less from tempo issues, but you may find the dated
sounding vibrato in the flutes less attractive here. This is not so bad in
BWV 1057, but is a subject to which I will be returning later.
Disc 3 begins with an excellent recording of the solo Italian Concerto
BWV 971, and it’s nice to have this kind of variety in the set.
Schiff’s unpretentious directness and elegantly expressive melodic touch
are all to the fore in this performance which, if you hadn’t been tempted
before, may well direct you towards more of his solo Bach playing. This is
followed by the double concertos, and aside from a rather heavy opening Allegro
to the C minor Concerto BWV 1060 the remaining movements on the disc
give no cause for concern. Indeed, there are considerable treasures to be
found here, with all of the slow movements having a lovely quality - only
the famous Andante from the Concerto in C minor BWV 1062 - originally
‘that’ double violin concerto, seeming a bit too urgent in tempo:
it would have been nice to have lingered a little longer here.
Disc 4 brings us to the triple concertos, and unfortunately to the least appealing
set of recordings in this box. The Psychiatrische Klinik in Münsterlingen
is a less attractive acoustic than that on the other discs, and the strings
of the orchestra are rather thinner and more messy sounding. The overall feel
is rather un-elegant and clunky throughout, but the worst blemish is the Concerto
in A minor BWV 1044. I have every respect for Aurèle Nicolet’s
flute playing, but his vibrato in this concerto is pretty intolerable. I’m
not talking about any kind of hair-shirt non-vibrato authenticity here, I’m
talking about sustained notes which go ‘wOwOwOwO’ in a way that
would be deeply unattractive in any music, let alone Bach. Yuk!
So, that’s the first time I’ve used the ‘Y’ word in
a review, and I’m sorry to have to do it here. There are some redeeming
features with the other concertos later on, but there is no real definition
between the multiple keyboards in the stereo imaging of the recording so there
is no real sense of dialogue and in fact a good deal of confusion if you are
trying to follow individual lines. There are better recordings of Bach’s
triple concertos on piano around, and you could do a good deal worse than
the EMI triple disc set with Jean-Philippe Collard, Gabriel Tacchino and Michel
Béroff, though this can also be somewhat heavy at times. This also
includes the Concerto in A minor BWV 1065 for four keyboards not to
be found with the Schiff set, so there goes that ‘complete’ word
out of the window again. If choosing a piano version of the solo concertos
I would, as a desert island price-no-object choice, go for Angela
Hewitt on Hyperion,
now also available as a two disc set. Her playing has a more inventive and
witty character when it comes to ornamentation, and with an extra fleece of
authentic style when it comes to performance her recordings are lighter and
filled with greater contrast and a heightened sense of newness and surprise.
That said, I’ve found a great deal to enjoy in this box, and fans of
András Schiff will be delighted to be able to reap these lower priced
re-issue rewards.
Dominy Clements
Largely enjoyable, but not without flaws.