Bach: French Suites
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J. S. BACH
Bach: French Suites
Angela Hewitt (piano)
[ Hyperion / 2 CD Box Set ]
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The rhythms of the dance have always provided composers with a vital source of inspiration. Bach was no exception, and a very high percentage of his music is related to the dance. Perhaps this is largely what gives it that marvellous vitality and spirit, and why it is so immediately appealing. The six French Suites contain some of Bach's most attractive keyboard writing. The eight Little Preludes are among the most valuable pieces ever written for beginners, giving a wonderful introduction to voice imitation, pedal points, cadenza-like passages, and basic ornamentation. They cover many different moods and recall fond childhood memories. The remaining pieces on this recording are of a completely different nature. Both the Sonata in D minor, BWV964, and the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV894, are virtuoso pieces, intended to show off the ability of the performer. Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is the acknowledged master of Bach on the piano.
"Even the most out-and-out purists who blench at the thought of Bach on the piano will find it hard not to be won over by Angela Hewitt's artistry. Eschewing all hieratic pretentiousness on the one hand and self-regarding eccentricities on the other, she gives us Bach performances that aren't only admirable in style but marked by poise, and what used to be called a 'quiet hand': 'chaste' might not be too fanciful a term, so long as that does not suggest any lack of vitality. There's intelligence in her carefully thought-out phrasing and subtle variety of articulation: gradations of sound are always alive without their becoming precious. The bulk of this recording is devoted to the FrenchSuites. Particularly enjoyable is the lightness of her treatment of the Airs of Nos 2 and 4, the vigour of No 5's Bourrée and the freshness of No 6's Allemande; the extra decorations she adds in repeats everywhere sound properly spontaneous and are in the best of taste; ornaments are always cleanly played and matched up in imitative voices." (Gramophone)
Tracks:
Keyboard Sonata in D Minor, BWV964
French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV812
French Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV813
French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV814
Prelude in C major, BWV924
Prelude in G minor, BWV930
Prelude in D major, BWV925
Prelude in D minor, BWV926
Prelude in F major, BWV927
Prelude in F major, BWV928
Prelude in C major, BWV933
Prelude in C minor, BWV934
Prelude in D minor, BWV935
Prelude in D major, BWV936
Prelude in E major, BWV937
Prelude in E minor, BWV938
Prelude in C major, BWV939
Prelude in D minor, BWV940
Prelude in E minor, BWV941
Prelude in A minor, BWV942
Prelude in C major, BWV943
Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999
French Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV815
French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV816
French Suite No. 6 in E major, BWV817
Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV894
