MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW Plain text for smartphones & printers

Support us financially by purchasing this from

Wilhelm Friedemann BACH (1710-1784)
Fantasia in D minor (Falck 19) [5:28]
Fugue in D minor [1:35]
Fantasia in E minor (Fk 20) [3:44]
Fugue in E minor [3:01]
Fugue in C minor [1:42]
Sonata in D Major (Fk 3) [19:52]
Sonata in E flat Major (Fk 5) [10:18]
Sonata in C Major (Fk 2) [9:48]
Fantasia in A minor (Fk 23) [3:21]
Anthony Spiri (piano)
rec. Kammermusikstudio, Stuttgart SWR, 2004/11.
OEHMS CLASSICS OC431 [58:58]

The music of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the favourite, if not the most gifted of J.S. Bach’s sons, has not fared as well as that of his brother C.P.E, and one can understand why. Whilst it is accomplished music, it lacks the imagination and brilliance of his younger brother. That being said, I do have a number of recordings of his music, including that for keyboard.

This is something of a strange partial re-release, it originally appeared in 2007 (OC 569) but was then found to contain works which, although attributed to W.F., were actually by Johann Wilhelm Häßler (1747-1822). So rather than record a complete new disc, Ohms have recorded two half discs of new music which they will be combining with music from the earlier recording to produce this present disc of music by W.F., as well as a disc which will shortly be issued, of music by Häßler. Both are to be released at mid-price. You can still obtain the original disc with its wrongly attributed pieces from various retailers.

This is my third disc of keyboard music; my first was the wonderful disc of Fugues and Sonatas by the excellent young harpsichordist, Ewald Demeyere (Accent ACC 23157), I followed this with the highly praised disc of the 12 Polonaises, Sonata in D (Fk 3) and the Fantasia in A minor (Fk 23), performed by Robert Hill on a copy of an early fortepiano (Naxos 8.557966). This present disc doesn’t quite make the grade. For me the music presented sounds a bit ponderous on the piano. The instrument is just too heavy and this is not helped by the relatively slow tempos adopted by Spiri. I much prefer Hill’s recording of the two works shared with this disc. He has an ability to breathe life into this music and whilst his slow movement of the D Major is over half a minute slower than Spiri’s it doesn’t feel it, rather his lighter and airier style enables him to give a more nuanced performance. That being said, if you do not like the sound of the fortepiano, and there are plenty who don’t, this could well be the disc for you. It is recorded well, with only slight reverberation, though not enough to detract from the performance. The accompanying booklet notes by Anthony Spiri himself, are excellent. They are detailed and informative although it would have been nice to have the Falck (Fk) numbers or dates of all the works presented.

Stuart Sillitoe

 

 



Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing