Bringing “The Art of Fugue” from the printed page to life as
sound presents many problems for the performer. For a start,
what instrument or instruments to use? Although Tovey’s comment
that “no rule of counterpoint is kept more meticulously by Bach
than the confinement of the part-writing to the stretch of two
hands throughout” this has not stopped performances on groups
of just about every possible type of instrument, including guitars,
saxophones, trombones and recorders, as well as the less flashy
but more effective string quartet and viol consort. If multiple
instruments are to be used the last has been the most effective
group in my experience. There is nonetheless a good case for
the use of a single keyboard instrument, generally organ, harpsichord
or piano. Whether the result works for the listener as music
depends much more on the performer than on the choice of instrument.
Not only does Bach not specify the instrument to be used, he
gives no indication of speed, dynamics or phrasing. All of these
are up to the performer and the range of solutions is amazing.
Whilst some highly respected musicians I have met remain convinced
that this is music for the eye rather than the ear, my own experience
of listening to a wide range of versions suggests that on the
contrary this is a work which gives the performer both freedom
and responsibility – far more so than, say, the Brandenburg
Concertos, and in the right hands it can come to life as an
astonishingly varied and stimulating collection. Even the most
unlikely and eccentric performances can shed considerable light
on the work, and any listener who has become fascinated by it
is likely to want a selection which can be enjoyed in different
ways.
The present version may indeed be described without exaggeration
as one of the more unlikely and even eccentric ones. It starts
almost inaudibly with a curious hesitation in the rhythm of
the theme. The latter is usually “brought out” when it appears
in the different voices, and dynamics vary, at times alarmingly.
Great care is needed with the volume at which you listen to
it. Set it too soft and the start cannot be heard; set it too
loud and the louder passages sound ugly and forced. The booklet
indicates that Ms Boyle stresses the “orchestral” dimensions
of the work, thinking of its articulation in terms of violins,
trombones, double bass and flute at various times. I would certainly
not quarrel with this as an approach and it is good to hear
a performance that is above all determined to capture the changing
musical character of the work rather than simply to demonstrate
the complexity and ingenuity of the fugal writing. It does however
to some degree contradict the essential nature of fugue as being
a conversation between four (or three) voices of equal importance,
and I do find the often relentless emphasis on the fugue subjects
as breaking the flow of the music in an unsubtle way.
At the same time, I must note that Ms Boyle produces some very
beautiful sounds and textures, and her speeds are well chosen
even if not everyone will enjoy the degree of rubato
she employs. She plays only the main Contrapunti, including
both versions of the two which can be played also upside down
(rectus and inversus) but excluding the canons
and the Fugue for two keyboards. The final, incomplete, Fugue
simply stops where the manuscript breaks off. Whether by accident
or design the second of the invertible Fugues has the inversus
coming before the rectus although the booklet shows them
as appearing in the conventional order.
I would certainly not choose this recording if I were to be
restricted to a single version of the work, but as a useful
contrast or antidote to more severe versions it does have a
legitimate place. It may indeed appeal to anyone who has been
put of the music previously because of its reputation or unsympathetic
performances. I note that the website of one supplier catalogues
it under “New Age” and this is surely a very perceptive decision.
I remain uncertain as to whether I like it and there are many
moments which I find inexplicable, but I cannot deny the beauty
and character that is given to the music - rather than extracted
from it - at other times. At the right time and in the right
mood you may find this irresistible – I can see it becoming
a cult version in some circles – but this is very much a recording
you should sample before purchase if possible.
John Sheppard
Diana Boyle (piano) 
