Bach: Solo Suites; Chromatic Fantasy; Chaconne

On this CD:

1. Suite for solo cello No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

2. Suite for solo cello No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

3. Suite for solo cello No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

4. Suite for solo cello No. 4 in E flat major, BWV 1010
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

5. Suite for solo cello No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

6. Suite for solo cello No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

7. Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

8. Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue for keyboard in D minor, BWV 903
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Rivka Golani

Customer Reviews:

A GARDEN OF (historical) DELIGHTS!.......2005-01-28

[Two caveats: First, Edwin Fischer is one of my pianistic gods. Second, this set is in historical sound and surface noise is a constant, although not annoying, presence.] I may have been imprinted as a youngster on some of Fischer's playing, but even now some fifty-plus years later I still love the SOUND of his playing, even when the sound is ancient, as it is in all of the recordings presented in this 4CD set. I remember that it was his touch, the velvety pianissimi--and was there ever a pianist who had so many gradations of pianissimo?--the legato, the dynamic control, the natural phrasing of a great singer that initially drew me to his playing, and still does. I enjoyed almost every moment of the five hours of music-making on these discs. It would probably be easier for me to comment on the performances I didn't particularly like, but I'll save that for later. First let me enthuse about what is wonderful here.

Fischer, of course, was the first of the great pianists to make a practice of playing Bach on the piano--not transcribed or arranged as Busoni or others did, but as Bach wrote it. Well, yes, he occasionally played bass octaves where Bach had written a single line, but he never changed anything else. His 'Well-Tempered Clavier' (not included here, but available on wonderful Naxos and EMI transfers) was the first ever recording of those masterpieces. CD1 is practically all Bach: The D Minor Concerto, BWV 1052, the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor [the fugue is one of the marvels of this set, done primarily in all those gradations of pp], a solo piano arrangement by Marcello of the middle movement of the other D Minor Concerto, BWV 974, and a particular delight, the Concerto for Three Harpsichords, BWV 1064 , recorded in 1950 with two other pianists who went on to their own kind of fame: the recently deceased Ronald Smith, who was an early champion of the piano music of Charles-Henri-Valentin Alkan, and Dennis Matthews, who was a prominent pianist until his death in the 1980s. Also on CD1 is the G Major Chaconne, HWV 435/II by Handel, given a sparkling performance. Also, and one of my least favorite selections, is Fischer conducting his own chamber orchestra in the 'Concerto a quattro chiesa' in B flat, Op. 2, No. 9 by the early baroque composer, Evaristo Dall'Abaco. It's the music I'm not particularly drawn to, not the performance, although that seems a bit gray.

CD2 is primarily given over to Mozart, although it starts with the sprightly Haydn Concerto in D Major, Hob. SVIII:11. Then follows an absolutely lovely Mozart Piano Sonata No. 11 in A, the 'alla Turca' sonata. Recorded in 1933, it nonetheless shows off Fischer's incredible dynamic range and that ravishing pianissimo. His performance may be a bit romantic, but that's not a criticism from my point of view. This is followed by an even better C Minor Fantasia, K. 396. How I wish that had been coupled with the D Minor Fantasia, but we can't have everything, I guess. Then there is the only Mozart piano concerto in this set, the C Minor, K. 491, a dynamic performance that features Fischer's own rather over-the-top cadenzas. (I loved them, but they would certainly make the HIP crowd sniff. Come to think of it, the use of the full complement of the London Philharmonic would get up their noses, too.) This CD is rounded off by a charming arrangement by Fischer of a piece Mozart wrote when he was only five: Minuet in G, K. 1 - yes, K. 1!

CD3 is rather heavier fare from the core of Austro-German Romantic repertoire. First an impassioned 'Appassionata.' The Andante is particularly silken. Again, we have the opportunity to hear Fischer's great control of dynamics and phrasing. There are dropped notes here and there--as always with Fischer--but in the heat of the moment this is as nothing compared to the sweep of the playing. Then comes a dramatic Third Sonata of Brahms, in a dramatic reading. This is one of the three greatest readings of this sonata that I know--the others are those by Katchen and Solomon. The sonata is followed by the Rhapsody in G Minor, Op. 79, No. 2 and the G Minor Ballade, Op. 118, No. 3. I'm less taken with the Rhapsody than I'd hoped, but the Ballade is superb! Finally, with Fischer wielding the baton, is Felix Weingartner's well-known arrangement for string orchestra of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. As much as I detest the string orchestra arrangement of the Op. 131 Quartet (even in Bernstein's lauded recording with the VPO), I love this Weingartner arrangement. Fischer's account is good but I like Weingartner's own recording of it even better; alas, that does not seem to be currently easily available.

CD4 is all Schubert and for me the highlight of this entire set. As much as I love Schnabel in this repertoire--and others, too, like Perahia, Schiff and Fischer's own student, Alfred Brendel--I love these performances best. We get an absolutely incandescent 'Wanderer-Fantasie' and then eight Impromptus (D. 899 & 935) in meltingly gorgeous readings. The Impromptus in G Flat and in A Flat from the first set alone are worth the price of admission. They show off another characteristic of Fischer's playing that I hadn't mentioned: the ability of his left hand to float a gossamer accompaniment quite unlike anyone else I can think of. In the Mozart, for instance, he can make an Alberti bass sound like magic. Who else can do that?

Bottom line: This set is not for everyone. It is for those who don't mind a little surface noise--although I have to say the sound of the piano per se is really quite rich and warm and brings out, even in the oldest recordings (from 1931) the subtleties of Fischer's playing. It is also for those who don't mind a little cholesterol in their Baroque music, and who don't mind Bach on the piano. [Frankly, I'm not terribly fond of any three-piano version of the Three Harpsichord Concerto in any other recording I've ever heard, but here it works, at least for me.] And it does cost a chunk of change, this set. Still, for those who love Fischer's playing--and surely there are still a few of us, right?--this is worth it.

Strongly recommended to the right audience. You know who you are.

4CDs: TT=ca 5 hrs

Scott Morrison

Bach: Solo Suites; Chromatic Fantasy; Chaconne

Average customer rating:

Bach: Solo Suites; Chromatic Fantasy; Chaconne

Manufacturer: Musica Viva
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005MKI0
Release Date: 2001-07-17

Tracks:

Ste No.1 in G, BWV 1007: I. Prld
Ste No.1 in G, BWV 1007: II. Allemande
Ste No.1 in G, BWV 1007: III. Courante
Ste No.1 in G, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande
Ste No.1 in G, BWV 1007: V. Menuetto
Ste No.1 in G, BWV 1007: Vi. Gigue
Ste No.2 In d, BWV 1008: I. Prld
Ste No.2 In d, BWV 1008: II. Allemande
Ste No.2 In d, BWV 1008: III. Courante
Ste No.2 In d, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande
Ste No.2 In d, BWV 1008: V. Menuetto
Ste No.2 In d, BWV 1008: VI. Gigue
Ste No.3 in C, BWV 1009: I. Prld
Ste No.3 in C, BWV 1009: II. Allemande
Ste No.3 in C, BWV 1009: III. Courante
Ste No.3 in C, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande
Ste No.3 in C, BWV 1009: V. Bourree
Ste No.3 in C, BWV 1009: VI. Gigue

Tracks:

Ste No.4 in E flat, BWV 1010: I. Prld
Ste No.4 in E flat, BWV 1010: II. Allemande
Ste No.4 in E flat, BWV 1010: III. Courante
Ste No.4 in E flat, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande
Ste No.4 in E flat, BWV 1010: V. Bourree
Ste No.4 in E flat, BWV 1010: VI. Gigue
Ste No.5 in c, BWV 1011: I. Prld
Ste No.5 in c, BWV 1011: II. Allemande
Ste No.5 in c, BWV 1011: III. Courante
Ste No.5 in c, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande
Ste No.5 in c, BWV 1011: V. Gavotte
Ste No.5 in c, BWV 1011: VI. Gigue

Tracks:

Ste No.6 in c, BWV 1012: I. Prld
Ste No.6 in c, BWV 1012: II. Allemande
Ste No.6 in c, BWV 1012: III. Courante
Ste No.6 in c, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande
Ste No.6 in c, BWV 1012: V. Gavotte
Ste No.6 in c, BWV 1012: VI. Gigue
Chaconne, BWV 1004
Chromatic Fant, BWV 903

Average customer rating:

Vinikour's Playing Fresh & Spontaneous

Jory Vinikour: In Concert

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000BQ7JUW
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Customer Reviews:

Vinikour's Playing Fresh & Spontaneous.......2007-01-02

Jory Vinikour's playing puts him in a league not shared by many other musicians. He moves with equal ease from Byrd to Bach to Poulenc, although this set features the works of Bach, Scarlatti, Handel, F. & L. Couperin and Rameau.

Vinikour plays upon two harpsichords made by Cucchiara & Pierce. His subtle use of the machine stop on the English-style instrument is breath-taking in the dramatically rhapsodic Chromatic Fantasia. Vinikour never allows this remarkable device to upstage the piece itself, however. His extraordinary technique and individuality as an interpreter always reign supreme, causing one to hear this celebrated piece as if for the first time.

The second instrument is patterned after French models by Blanchet. However, it is equipped with a peau de buffle and a lute register; the latter appearing only rarely in antique French harpsichords. Both registers are used to extraordinary effect. Brace yourself for the most sensuous and singing harpsichord sonority you're likely to hear, especially in the Tombeau de Mr Blancrocher which is played solely on the peau de buffle register. The sound simply pours out of the instrument to astonishing effect, and Vinikour is in complete control of this magnificent resonance.

Rameau also receives a fresh, spontaneous reading in this two-CD set. Les Trois Mains, L'Entretien des Muses and Les Niais de Sologne are immediate winners. Francois Couperin's Le Tic Tic Choc is as fresh a reading one is likely to hear.......ever!

Although the programme features repertoire recorded many times by other great players, Vinikour's is not merely another addition to an already large discography of well-known standards. Rather, it is a stunning, highly musical and spontaneous technical tour de force which is heard rarely nowadays. This recording--as ALL recordings by Jory Vinikour--ought to be on the shelf of every connoisseur and lover of great keyboard playing.

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition

Average customer rating:

Wonderful set
Don't buy the whole thing
Not Insane
insane
For the real music lover

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition
Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Nonets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Voluntaries | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Airs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Barcarolles | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00002EITP
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful set.......2004-10-24

This set is for serious piano fans, not for the ones who just start building up a CD library. I sort of agree with one of the reviewers, that there are many repetitions. But if you love piano, you wish to hear the same piece in different interpretations. Indeed, I really like this feature of this set: I can compare the style of various performers.
If you are into piano music, I encourage you to grab this set, if you can find it used (not available anymore at Amazon). I also hope, that there will be a continuation, in which other great pianists, who were left out because of the space limitation, will be included (Prokofiev, Bartok, Dohnanyi, etc).

Don't buy the whole thing.......2001-07-08

I've put a lot of thought into constructing my own piano library, and unless you can easily afford the present set, I would recommend a different approach to collecting piano music. This set emphasizes the piano player rather than the piano composer. Of course both are important. For example, the "Barcarolle" appears in this set EIGHT times. I'm sorry, although I love the piece, if I am going to spend [the money], I would prefer more variety. Where are the Alkan, Medtner, and Szymanawski compositions represented in this set? I appreciate having so many interpretations of the same pieces, but I would also appreciate more exposure to pieces not so popular. The selection by Philips which I consider a somewhat popular selection suggests to me that when Philips constructed this set, they realized most people would be buying the disks separately, and this affected the selection. And it's not just that obscure composers are left out, but also if one spends so much money on piano recordings, you'd think you'd want to buy pieces from a composer in completeness. For example, an alternative way to construct a library would be to combine purchases of complete cycles, e.g. complete Beethoven sonatas, complete Scriabin preludes, etc., along with outstanding recordings of more particular pieces. I'm not sure why someone would want to concentrate so much on so many famous artists, instead of acquiring complete sets of compositions. For me the composer is more important, or at least, if I am going to spend [the money]on piano recordings, I'd prefer more complete, rather than snapshot, exposure to the composers.

Not Insane.......2001-01-02

I had to write this review, as I am enthralled with this set. I have been going through it in order having already purchased a few individual units from the collection earlier. I am not sure what `insane' was talking about as there is NO repetition. Sure some pianists perform the same pieces, isn't that what they did in reality? The idea is to appreciate the different nuances and approaches taken by these artists. You will then enjoy these pieces from a better vantage.

It is a large ambitious contribution to the art of great piano playing. It is a labor of love and represents a tremendous amount of research and cooperation between many record companies. Rather then representing insanity, it is a resource to treasure.

Yes experts can quibble over who was left out, and what performances were inserted. I do not think such a massive undertaking could have been accomplished without someone being able to find faults. Overall however, unless you already have a monumental collection, (it would have to be almost legendary), this incredible set will give you a rewarding look into 74 of the greatest pianist of all time. You will come away with a honed sense of appreciation for your likes and dislikes. You will undoubtedly become someone who will search out recordings and be able to enjoy them for the rest of your life with a refined ear.

The only negative is this price. I would shop around, as it is daunting to spend 2 thousand dollars on such a collection. Of course you do get 200 CD's. However, the used collections might be good to consider.

Enjoy these masterpieces. I am not ashamed of owning this music as `insane' implies. I am proud to have enriched my life.

insane.......2000-10-12

This is not a good library of piano music. The reason is, there is too much repetition. I'm not saying the series is bad. The series is wonderful. But this collection as a whole is a bad libary. For the same money you could collect together (with more effort) an incredible libary of piano music. There are so many wonderful cd's out there, this is just a waste of money. If you can actually afford to spend 2 grand on piano music, then either (1) spend the time and do some research to get a good library of piano music, which will probably include some selections from this collection, or (2) hire someone to do that for you. Personally I would be embarrassed to own this whole collection, since that shows I have put little thought into my purchases of piano music.

For the real music lover.......2000-03-12

This series attempts to present important and representative performances by most of the major pianists of the 20th century. One might quibble a bit with the choices, but the works presented are of consistently high quality, and often do represent what may be the best works of a performer. Since this covers most of the time that recorded music existed, some of the recordings are technically challenged, as there is only so much one can do to enhance an old recording. Still, these appear to have been treated with love and respect in their restorations. Since this series is so large (and expensive!) one is tempted to "cherry pick" through the series, yet by doing so one can easily overlook gems by artists one is less familiar with. This large a set must inevitably have many versions of the same pieces, and takes many hours to listen to. The true enthusiast will appreciate the differences in interpretation, whereas the less experienced listener may find the set repetitive and overwhelming. If one has the time to really dig into this set, it can provide years of exploration and discovery. It would make a wonderful gift for some special music lover in your life ... or for yourself!

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