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J.s. Bach: Six French Suites Bwv 812-817; Little Preludes
Musica Omnia

J.s. Bach: Six French Suites Bwv 812-817; Little Preludes

$25.99

Details

Composer
BACH, JOHANN SEBASTIAN
Artist
Peter Watchorn (Harpsichord)
Format
CD
Label
Musica Omnia
Released
Oct 10, 2011
Catalog #
MO0402
UPC
801890040226

About

Bach's French Suites are pieces that underwent many revisions. Unlike Bach's Partitas, which were published and therefore frozen in their state at the time of publication, the French Suites were didactic pieces, with many variants. Some early versions appear in the 1722 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, which contains two full suites (BWV 815 and 816) together with parts of the first two suites. Peter Watchorn discusses how Bach used these suites for teaching in his interesting liner-notes. These take the form of an imaginary interview with Johann Sebastian Bach.

The first thing that strikes the listener is the clear, rich sound of the harpsichord, a Zuckerman copy of a Christian Vater instrument from 1738. Not only does this harpsichord offer an extremely balanced sound from the low end to the treble, but the recording itself enhances the musicality of the instrument. It sounds warm and full, without the sometimes harsh high end that can be tiring to listen to. Also, it is worth noting that Watchorn uses Bradley Lehman's tuning scheme, described here.

Watchorn's performances here are delightful. His playing ranges from dainty to powerful according to the needs of each specific movement. He takes full advantage of the wide spectrum of sounds his harpsichord can voice, offering tasteful ornamentation and subtle accents when desirable.

One thing that Watchorn does here that sets this recording apart from others involves interpolating preludes into those suites that lack a prelude. He has restored the prelude to the 4th suite, and plays other preludes before the suites that do not contain any. His reasoning, laid out in the liner-notes, is in part due to the fact that Bach and his sons would "improvise" preludes when playing these suites. To this end, he uses preludes from a variety of sources: The Well-Tempered Clavier, other uncollected preludes, and even BWV 999, a prelude that Bach wrote for the lute, and which is well-known.

I am very familiar with the French Suites, having long appreciated these beautiful works. Adding preludes to them is interesting, but when one has listened to them without these preludes for so long, it can be jarring to hear them with what seem like "intruders", especially those preludes that are familiar from The Well-Tempered Clavier, or the prelude for lute. I admire the research that has gone into this choice, but I will choose to listen to the French Suites without these additional movements. It is like Bach's Art of Fugue. For a long time, it was thought that the unfinished fugue was the final part of the work; it certainly sounds like a summation of the rest of the fugues, and its ending in suspension is a fitting ending for the entire work. But musicologists have shown us that its position in the work was much earlier. Nevertheless, I simply cannot listen to it in its proper position.

This set also contains the twenty "Little Preludes", other didactic works from the Clavierbüchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Among these works, Watchorn "completed" the prelude BWV 932, which existed as a fragment. I find the Little Preludes interesting, but they certainly don't stand up to the French Suites. These are not works I return to often, though Watchorn's recordings are up to the same standards as the French Suites.

To sum up, this is a fine recording of the French Suites, with the odd aspect of the additional preludes. It is up to the listener to decide whether or not he or she wishes to hear the suites in this manner. Given the quality of the performances and especially the excellent recording, this set is among the best harpsichord recordings of these works.

-- Kirk McElhearn, MusicWeb International

Tracklist 65 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 875a 01:41
    Track
    1
    Title
    The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 875a
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  3. 2 I. Allemande 04:17
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Allemande
    Duration
    04:17
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  4. 3 II. Courante 02:23
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    02:23
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  5. 4 III. Sarabande 03:03
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  6. 5 IV. Menuet I-II 03:54
    Track
    5
    Title
    IV. Menuet I-II
    Duration
    03:54
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  7. 6 V. Gigue 03:46
    Track
    6
    Title
    V. Gigue
    Duration
    03:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  8. 7 Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999 01:21
    Track
    7
    Title
    Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999
    Duration
    01:21
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  9. 8 I. Allemande 04:02
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. Allemande
    Duration
    04:02
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  10. 9 II. Courante 02:16
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  11. 10 III. Sarabande 03:39
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  12. 11 IV. Air 01:54
    Track
    11
    Title
    IV. Air
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  13. 12 V. Menuet I-II 04:21
    Track
    12
    Title
    V. Menuet I-II
    Duration
    04:21
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  14. 13 VI. Gigue 02:43
    Track
    13
    Title
    VI. Gigue
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  15. 14 Prelude in B Minor, BWV 923 04:25
    Track
    14
    Title
    Prelude in B Minor, BWV 923
    Duration
    04:25
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  16. 15 I. Allemande 04:40
    Track
    15
    Title
    I. Allemande
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  17. 16 II. Courante 02:42
    Track
    16
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    02:42
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  18. 17 III. Sarabande 03:23
    Track
    17
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:23
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  19. 18 IV. Anglaise 01:51
    Track
    18
    Title
    IV. Anglaise
    Duration
    01:51
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  20. 19 V. Menuet I-II 03:35
    Track
    19
    Title
    V. Menuet I-II
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  21. 20 VI. Gigue 02:52
    Track
    20
    Title
    VI. Gigue
    Duration
    02:52
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  22. Disc 2
  23. 1 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a (variante): I. Prelude 02:36
    Track
    1
    Title
    French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a (variante): I. Prelude
    Duration
    02:36
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  24. 2 I. Allemande 03:32
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Allemande
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  25. 3 II. Courante 02:15
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  26. 4 III. Sarabande 03:24
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:24
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  27. 5 IV. Gavotte 06:53
    Track
    5
    Title
    IV. Gavotte
    Duration
    06:53
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  28. 6 V. Menuet 02:46
    Track
    6
    Title
    V. Menuet
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  29. 7 VI. Air 00:57
    Track
    7
    Title
    VI. Air
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  30. 8 VII. Gigue 03:11
    Track
    8
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    03:11
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  31. 9 Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 902a: Prelude 01:21
    Track
    9
    Title
    Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 902a: Prelude
    Duration
    01:21
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  32. 10 I. Allemande 03:55
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Allemande
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  33. 11 II. Courante 01:57
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    01:57
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  34. 12 III. Sarabande 05:04
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    05:04
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  35. 13 IV. Gavotte 01:22
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Gavotte
    Duration
    01:22
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  36. 14 V. Bourree 01:30
    Track
    14
    Title
    V. Bourree
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  37. 15 VI. Loure 02:20
    Track
    15
    Title
    VI. Loure
    Duration
    02:20
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  38. 16 VII. Gigue 04:08
    Track
    16
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    04:08
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  39. 17 The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude No. 10 in E Major, BWV 855/i 01:45
    Track
    17
    Title
    The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude No. 10 in E Major, BWV 855/i
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  40. 18 I. Allemande 03:54
    Track
    18
    Title
    I. Allemande
    Duration
    03:54
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  41. 19 II. Courante 02:05
    Track
    19
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  42. 20 III. Sarabande 03:29
    Track
    20
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:29
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  43. 21 IV. Gavotte 01:19
    Track
    21
    Title
    IV. Gavotte
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  44. 22 V. Polonaise 01:41
    Track
    22
    Title
    V. Polonaise
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  45. 23 VI. Bourree 01:56
    Track
    23
    Title
    VI. Bourree
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  46. 24 VII. Gigue 03:04
    Track
    24
    Title
    VII. Gigue
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  47. 25 VIII. Menuet 01:37
    Track
    25
    Title
    VIII. Menuet
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  48. Disc 3
  49. 1 Prelude in C Major, BWV 924 01:14
    Track
    1
    Title
    Prelude in C Major, BWV 924
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  50. 2 Prelude in D Major, BWV 925 01:41
    Track
    2
    Title
    Prelude in D Major, BWV 925
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  51. 3 Prelude in D Minor, BWV 926 01:03
    Track
    3
    Title
    Prelude in D Minor, BWV 926
    Duration
    01:03
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  52. 4 Prelude in F Major, BWV 927 00:40
    Track
    4
    Title
    Prelude in F Major, BWV 927
    Duration
    00:40
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  53. 5 Prelude in F Major, BWV 928 01:29
    Track
    5
    Title
    Prelude in F Major, BWV 928
    Duration
    01:29
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  54. 6 Trio in G Minor, BWV 929 00:54
    Track
    6
    Title
    Trio in G Minor, BWV 929
    Duration
    00:54
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  55. 7 Prelude in G Minor, BWV 930 02:12
    Track
    7
    Title
    Prelude in G Minor, BWV 930
    Duration
    02:12
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  56. 8 Prelude in A Minor, BWV 931 00:54
    Track
    8
    Title
    Prelude in A Minor, BWV 931
    Duration
    00:54
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  57. 9 Prelude in E Minor, BWV 932 (completed by P. Watchorn) 01:20
    Track
    9
    Title
    Prelude in E Minor, BWV 932 (completed by P. Watchorn)
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  58. 10 Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 933 01:35
    Track
    10
    Title
    Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 933
    Duration
    01:35
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  59. 11 Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 934 01:48
    Track
    11
    Title
    Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 934
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  60. 12 Prelude No. 3 in D Minor, BWV 935 02:18
    Track
    12
    Title
    Prelude No. 3 in D Minor, BWV 935
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  61. 13 Prelude No. 4 in D Major, BWV 936 03:29
    Track
    13
    Title
    Prelude No. 4 in D Major, BWV 936
    Duration
    03:29
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  62. 14 Prelude No. 5 in E Major, BWV 937 01:56
    Track
    14
    Title
    Prelude No. 5 in E Major, BWV 937
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  63. 15 Prelude No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 938 02:15
    Track
    15
    Title
    Prelude No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 938
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  64. 16 Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 939 00:40
    Track
    16
    Title
    Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 939
    Duration
    00:40
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  65. 17 Prelude No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 940 01:04
    Track
    17
    Title
    Prelude No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 940
    Duration
    01:04
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  66. 18 Prelude No. 3 in E Minor, BWV 941 00:46
    Track
    18
    Title
    Prelude No. 3 in E Minor, BWV 941
    Duration
    00:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  67. 19 Prelude No. 4 in A Minor, BWV 942 00:51
    Track
    19
    Title
    Prelude No. 4 in A Minor, BWV 942
    Duration
    00:51
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn
  68. 20 Prelude No. 5 in C Major, BWV 943 01:52
    Track
    20
    Title
    Prelude No. 5 in C Major, BWV 943
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Peter Watchorn