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BIS

Bach: Partitas For Harpsichord / Masaaki Suzuki

$34.99

Details

Composer
BACH, J.S.
Artist
Masaaki, Suzuki
Format
CD
Label
BIS
Released
Oct 01, 2002
Catalog #
BIS-CD-1313-14
UPC
7318591313144

About

Listeners familiar with other recordings in Masaaki Suzuki's ongoing traversal of Bach's solo keyboard works may find his performances of the Partitas somewhat of an anomaly. For instance, the sharply delineated juxtapositions of tempos that made his Fantasias and Fugues program so thrilling (type Q3840 in Search Reviews) are nowhere to be heard here. The interpretive agenda this time is much subtler and decidedly more introverted. Not only does his choice of relatively moderate-to-slow tempos throughout (and his observance of all repeats) make this performance one of the longest ever--each CD of this two-disc set extends beyond 80 minutes--there also is a sense of deeply considered involvement with the way phrases are turned, details attended to, and passages executed. Like Bach, who esteemed these compositions highly, Suzuki's performances suggest admiration, even occasionally excessive adoration.

Listen for instance to the way Suzuki renders the opening Sinfonia of the second Partita, to the way in which each thematic idea, however brief, is underlined through his use of subtle dynamic shading and crisp counterpoint. Likewise in the Passepied of the fifth Partita Suzuki's emphasis on inner detail often makes him sound as if he's recapitulating the recapitulations (though without ever sacrificing the movement's already quirky momentum). In less capable hands this kind of overt attention to detail could sound affected or needlessly fussy. In Suzuki's very capable ones however, we hear an artist ceaselessly probing, relishing both the significance and joy of his task.

BIS's engineering is fine, though admittedly the harpsichord sounds less immediate than in Suzuki's previous offering mentioned above. There is no shortage of outstanding harpsichord performances of Bach's Partitas, and for listeners who may prefer a performance equally as personal though a bit more extroverted, the stylish angular rhythms that characterize Blandine Verlet's performance on Philips, the freewheeling elegant ornamentation of Igor Kipnis on Seraphim, or the fresh unfettered spirit that Christophe Rousset brings to his L' Oiseau Lyre cycle make them deservedly distinctive and worthwhile as well.
--John Greene, ClassicsToday.com

Tracklist 40 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Praeludium 02:01
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Praeludium
    Duration
    02:01
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  3. 2 II. Allemande 04:58
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    04:58
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  4. 3 III. Corrente 03:03
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Corrente
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  5. 4 IV. Sarabande 05:55
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Sarabande
    Duration
    05:55
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  6. 5 V. Menuet I & II 03:14
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Menuet I & II
    Duration
    03:14
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  7. 6 VI. Giga 02:20
    Track
    6
    Title
    VI. Giga
    Duration
    02:20
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  8. 7 I. Fantasia 02:16
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Fantasia
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  9. 8 II. Allemande 04:01
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    04:01
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  10. 9 III. Corrente 03:30
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Corrente
    Duration
    03:30
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  11. 10 IV. Sarabande 04:40
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. Sarabande
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  12. 11 V. Burlesca 02:04
    Track
    11
    Title
    V. Burlesca
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  13. 12 VI. Scherzo 01:10
    Track
    12
    Title
    VI. Scherzo
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  14. 13 VII. Gigue 04:02
    Track
    13
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    04:02
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  15. 14 I. Ouverture 06:11
    Track
    14
    Title
    I. Ouverture
    Duration
    06:11
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  16. 15 II. Allemande 12:05
    Track
    15
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    12:05
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  17. 16 III. Courante 03:39
    Track
    16
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  18. 17 IV. Aria 02:34
    Track
    17
    Title
    IV. Aria
    Duration
    02:34
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  19. 18 V. Sarabande 06:41
    Track
    18
    Title
    V. Sarabande
    Duration
    06:41
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  20. 19 VI. Menuet 01:34
    Track
    19
    Title
    VI. Menuet
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  21. 20 VII. Gigue 04:03
    Track
    20
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    04:03
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  22. Disc 2
  23. 1 I. Sinfonia 05:08
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Sinfonia
    Duration
    05:08
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  24. 2 II. Allemande 05:27
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    05:27
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  25. 3 III. Courante 02:27
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  26. 4 IV. Sarabande 03:44
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:44
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  27. 5 V. Rondeaux 01:36
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Rondeaux
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  28. 6 VI. Capriccio 03:55
    Track
    6
    Title
    VI. Capriccio
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  29. 7 I. Preambulum 02:29
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Preambulum
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  30. 8 II. Allemande 05:53
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    05:53
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  31. 9 III. Corrente 02:01
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Corrente
    Duration
    02:01
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  32. 10 IV. Sarabande 04:28
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. Sarabande
    Duration
    04:28
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  33. 11 V. Tempo di Minuetta 02:21
    Track
    11
    Title
    V. Tempo di Minuetta
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  34. 12 VI. Passepied 01:39
    Track
    12
    Title
    VI. Passepied
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  35. 13 VII. Gigue 04:30
    Track
    13
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    04:30
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  36. 14 I. Toccata 07:24
    Track
    14
    Title
    I. Toccata
    Duration
    07:24
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  37. 15 II. Allemande 04:46
    Track
    15
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    04:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  38. 16 III. Corrente 05:03
    Track
    16
    Title
    III. Corrente
    Duration
    05:03
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  39. 17 IV. Air 01:32
    Track
    17
    Title
    IV. Air
    Duration
    01:32
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  40. 18 V. Sarabande 06:22
    Track
    18
    Title
    V. Sarabande
    Duration
    06:22
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  41. 19 VI. Tempo di Gavotta 02:13
    Track
    19
    Title
    VI. Tempo di Gavotta
    Duration
    02:13
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  42. 20 VII. Gigue 06:25
    Track
    20
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    06:25
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach