The welltempered clavier was the title given to the book of twentyfour preludes and fugues in all the major and minor keys, which was composed and compiled during bachs appointment in kothen in 1722. Bachs welltempered clavier for london in the mid1980s, but the passage of time, personal reflection, and improvements in digital recording have contributed to making his second recording of the 48 a necessity, this time on ecm new series. Bach, andras schiff the welltempered clavier, book. Roussets welldigested sense of style and finished technique permeate every selection. All these years later i have finally purchased book two, featuring mr. In addition to being outstanding pianists, each has recorded bachs well tempered clavier and received great praise.
Angela hewitt has made bachs music the cornerstone of her brilliant, exuberant artistry. Schiff affectionately thinks of each piece as having not just a key but a particular character that he sees as color. In this concert she plays bachs 24 preludes and fugues from the welltempered clavier, book i. Aimard has clearly thought deeply about the collections kaleidoscopic structure, but parts of its kaleidoscope suit him better than others. The first instance to look at, which is also the most authoritative one, is to study the composers original manuscripts. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Shermans books include inside early music oxford university press and performing brahms cambridge university press. As a child, he studied piano with elizabeth vadasz, making his public debut at the age of nine. Book 11722, book 21724 significance of title well tempered. Bwv890 bwv893 andras schiff, piano oct 1985 prelude and fugue no. The well tempered clavier, book ii to enjoy in your home or car, or gift it to another music lover. Well tempered clavier book 1 prelude tab by johann. The two volumes of bachs the welltempered clavier together represent a wealth of musical invention, ingenuity and delight.
This website is incredibly resourceful, and one can especially check the 1722 original of the well tempered clavier book 1. Sep 19, 2012 andras schiff has recorded the 48 preludes and fugues that make up the welltempered clavier before, in the mid80s as part of his complete survey of bachs keyboard music for decca. Andras schiff on the recording of bachs the welltempered. In august 2011, schiff turned his focus to the 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier, making studio recording of both books in the auditorium radiosvizzera italiana, lugano. Apart from the early versions of several preludes included in w. Prelude and fugue in c minor and well tempered clavier. Book two of the welltempered clavier dates from 173842 some 20 years after book one and was assembled from both newly composed pieces and various existing. Oct 29, 2012 when the pianist andras schiff took a break halfway through his magnificent performance of bachs welltempered clavier, book i, on saturday night at the 92nd street y, the intermission. Sir andras schiff plays the welltempered clavier, book i youtube.
The welltempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the welltempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. The two volumes of bachs the welltempered clavier together represent a. That schiff decca set remains a model of sovereign intelligence, limpid playfulness and pianism, but in revisiting the welltempered clavier he has said that he wants to eliminate touches of sentimentality. Most readers have likely heard of glenn gould, edwin fischer, sviatoslav richter, rosalyn tureck, andras schiff, angela hewitt, samuel feinberg, and friedrich gulda.
The two books of preludes and fugues that make up bachs welltempered clavier one complementary pair in every key of the chromatic scale twice over, 48 in total is one of the greatest. For example, the piece that ends the cycle of book 1, the great bminor fugue, is so chromatic and convoluted that it shocks the modern ear with its complexity. In its whole, the welltempered clavier delves into some of the most complicated and compelling counterpoint ever written. Johann sebastian bach the welltempered clavier, bwv 846893. The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, composed for solo keyboard by johann sebastian bach. After some practice, after having learned a few of these preludes and fougues, the fingering should become more natural and those fingering suggestions on the editions really become unneccessary. Schiff threw away his dreary workbooks and began playing bachs preludes and fugues from the welltempered clavier instead. Andras schiff plays welltempered clavier, at 92nd street y the. Andras schiff plays welltempered clavier, at 92nd street y. Why i didnt buy book two i dont know, although i remember considering the account by andras schiff. As eloquent as ever, and always meticulous in execution, schiff plays the two books of preludes and fugues. Chromatic fantasy and fugue in d minor, bwv 903 duration.
Andras schiff performed the seminal welltempered clavier, book i, almost without pausing and all from memory on saturday night. Sherman, reprinted from early music america emag, november, 2000. Notable performances there are lots of recordings of the well tempered clavier available, and one can find them easily either through itunes and amazon, or in the more specialist eshops, such as presto one can find even rare records, such as giesekings or pollinis recordings of the well tempered clavier. The well tempered clavier, book ii by andras schiff. The first book of the welltempered clavier was composed in the early 1720s, with bachs autograph dated 1722. At the start of the cycle, however, bach bluffs us with simplicity. The result feels more like an evolution than a rejection of his youthful preoccupations. Nov 25, 20 schiff imbued the well tempered clavier s 24 preludes and fugues with a formidable sense of direction, writes martin kettle. Bach enjoyed playing the organ, harpsichord, clavichord, and even the lautenclavicymbel, and. As eloquent as ever, and always meticulous in execution, schiff plays the two books of preludes and. I have just revisited schiffs welltempered clavier and it is as fresh as always.
Now, using his own steinway, schiff turns his focus to the 48 preludes and fugues of the welltempered clavier, making studio recordings in lugano of both. In addition to being outstanding pianists, each has recorded bachs well tempered. Bach welltempered clavier complete andras schiff pn ecm 001733702 4 cds. Bachs klavierbuchlein 1720 there is an almost complete collection of prelude and fughetta versions predating the 1722 autograph, known from a later copy by an. In august 2011, schiff turned his focus to the 48 preludes and fugues of the welltempered clavier, making studio recording of both books in the auditorium radiosvizzera italiana, lugano. He plays bach on the piano with no pedal, which is how i prefer my bach to sound. Andras schiffs welltempered guide to bach classical mpr. Johann sebastian bachs cycle of preludes and fugues, the welltempered clavier, holds a very special place in the world of music. Join us as she continues the second season of her remarkable fouryear journey through all of bachs keyboard works.
Eminent bachspecialist sir andras schiff here performs book i concluding the. Johann sebastian bach the welltempered clavier, book 1. Deceptive cadence the pianist has such an intimate relationship with the well tempered clavier, hearing him play its kaleidoscopic preludes and. Bachs welltempered clavier which collection to buy. Bach carefully laid out the preludes and fugues in both books of his welltempered clavier.
Andras schiff and the bach project the washington post. If you are a beginner or an advanced player, the question which score to use is always an important topic. For book 2, to view originals is a more complex exercise, given the lack of the one authoritative original from js bachs hand and the fragmentation of historical copies see the work of yo tomita for more info on this. Dec 24, 2012 going back to schiff s well tempered clavier. Well tempered clavier book 1 prelude tab by johann sebastian bach with free online tab player. Talking about the welltempered clavier, a very good source to get to the original scores is the website of the state library berlin together with bacharchiv leipzig. The f major preludes impeccably matched trills, the d major fugues ever. Johann sebastian bachs the welltempered clavier, book 1. Bach, andras schiff the welltempered clavier, book i. They also said that the problem was not with amazon only, and that most likely the same poor quality files were provided by the label to itunes. A welltempered clavier book i to savor classics today. The welltempered clavier on organ as is widely accepted today, johann sebastian bach did not have a singledout keyboard instrument in mind when he. Andreas sparschuh, in the course of studying german baroque organ tunings, assigned mathematical and acoustic meaning to the loops. So schiff is performing this sequence of 48 preludes and fugues, collected into two books as the welltempered clavier, on a modern piano in concert halls around the country, as part of a.
In bachs time clavier was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding an organ either the modern german spelling for the collection is. Sep 07, 2017 the two volumes of bachs the welltempered clavier together represent a wealth of musical invention, ingenuity and delight. Schiff imbued the welltempered claviers 24 preludes and fugues with a formidable sense of direction, writes martin kettle. Glenn gould 1932 1982 bach the welltempered clavier. Welltempered clavier the, book 2 landowska 19511954 wanda landowska, who continued to perform and record up to her death in 1959, was renowned as the greatest harpsichordist of the first half of the twentieth century. Book ii of her recording of bachs welltempered clavier was made between 1951 and 1954 at her home in lakeville. In august 2011, schiff turned his focus to the 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier, making studio recordings of both books in the auditorium radiosvizzera italiana, lugano. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in. Till fellner records bachs well tempered clavier book i. Jan 16, 20 bach carefully laid out the preludes and fugues in both books of his well tempered clavier.
The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, composed for solo keyboard by johann sebastian bach. That schiff decca set remains a model of sovereign intelligence, limpid playfulness and pianism, but in revisiting the well tempered clavier he has said that he wants to eliminate touches of sentimentality. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so wellcherished, frequently performed and. This boxed set of the two books of the welltempered clavier is his latest such release, and shows schiff as a much more mature pianist. The only time he uses the sustain pedal is on one of the fugues that is impossible to play without the pedal a minor fugue, book 2, written for organ. The well tempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the well tempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Both parts of thewell tempered clavier are also available as henle urtext editions without fingerings and as study editions. It is not just one of the immortal masterpieces of the world music literature. Jan 16, 20 schiff threw away his dreary workbooks and began playing bachs preludes and fugues from the well tempered clavier instead. Eminent bachspecialist sir andras schiff here performs book i. Jun 19, 2014 bwv890 bwv893 andras schiff, piano oct 1985 prelude and fugue no. His playing is delicate, well informed without falling into the hip category, and an overall joy to listen to. Bach, andras schiff the welltempered clavier, book 2. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so well cherished, frequently performed and thoroughly studied than this work of bachs.
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