Bach: Keyboard Works

[Bunnyears]

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Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dear Bunnyears, But I love it...! Particularly when I saw DF end his long cadenza in concerto V with a flourish/glissando, I couldn't but think this is one the most iconoclastic/fun interpretations of the piece that I know of. Same thing about his choice of generally fast tempi. I don't think I really understand it when you say, "as soon as music gets interesting, it's over." Perhaps you use it only as a metaphor, meaning you think it is too fast? To me, the music IS interesting right from the start, and faster tempi only make me listen more keenly to what is happening. Take MAK's pioneering "fast" Brandenburgs for example. People used to complain loudly about its "lack of breath" due to the "breakneck" tempi used, but that seems to have changed over the years. I now see in internet forums and online reviews far more positive responses than negative ones about Goebel's set. What happened? Maybe people have finally "got it." I think it's a bit like doing (musical) aerobics, in which breathing does get easier as one gradually sets into the exercise routine.

Yes, that is it precisely; they are sooo fast!

I don't mind the speed in the general sense so much except that it all begins to blur together after a while. Details go by so quickly that as soon as I notice something, it's gone. I actually prefer the faster tempos to the slower ones; as a comparison I put on Goebel's Brandenburgs and they seemed to creep at snail's pace. It was the same feeling that I get after I get off a highway where I've been doing 65 or 70 mph (trying to observe speed limits

) and then have to drive through a town at 30 mph. The traffic seems exaggeratedly slow and I feel as if the roads are still moving after I've rolled to a stop. I agree that for Fasolis it is quite a tour de force. His fingers are working so hard and fast in the trills, that they really do become a blur.

Have you had occasion to hear the recording? I read on some website when searching for the best price for the cds that despite being in SACD, the sound quality is not particularly great. That would be a great pity, as these are some or the most fun Brandenburg's I've heard.

Meanwhile, have you managed to download them onto your laptop? I've not figured out how to burn them from the video files nor how to put them as a video on my ipod, which is a great pity.

And the files are unprotected, too.

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you had occasion to hear the recording? I read on some website when searching for the best price for the cds that despite being in SACD, the sound quality is not particularly great. That would be a great pity, as these are some or the most fun Brandenburg's I've heard.

The snippets that I found at emusic do not sound too shabby despite being lo-resolution mp3's files. Besides I have read very positive comments about these SACD's from someone whose ears I trust very much in judging sound quality (Simon Roberts at rec.music.classical.recordings). Also, Ottavio Dantone's WTC's were recorded by ARTS which do give a very realistic sound. Add these factors together and I have high hopes for DF's Brandenburg both as interpretations and as sound recordings. That the SACD's will sound much much better than the video footage (since they are in fact two different sets of recordings), that much is certain.

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Meanwhile, have you managed to download them onto your laptop? I've not figured out how to burn them from the video files nor how to put them as a video on my ipod, which is a great pity. And the files are unprotected, too.

All I could download from the site are six very small files which are actually pointers to realaudio files streaming from the servers. That means I won't be able to access the video/audio contents as soon as I get off internet connection. The only ways I know which allows one to download /save streaming audio/video files require purchase of dedicated software. How you did it (apparently) without using any special software is what got me curious in the first place.

 

[eyeteeth]

I received the Mortensen pair and Rousset 4cd set today but could give each only a cursory listen. Wow the Mortensen is sweet sounding in all ways. I only ran quickly through CD1 of Rousset, which is Goldberg Variations, and it seemed jarring to me. (What the heck do I know though). Of course I'll go through it fully. If it's still striking me wrong I'll just conclude that Bunny is a sucker for blue eyes!

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by eyeteeth /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it's still striking me wrong I'll just conclude that Bunny is a sucker for blue eyes!

Blue eyes and probably heavy makeup as well. Oh the lavender shirt!

Quite the contrary to Rousset's image is that of late Scott Ross, who, despite being (neutralized) French and obviously a man of exquisite taste (his home at Arras was said to be "a mansion,") used to dress in timber men's jeans and plaid shirts to go onstage playing a dainty baroque harpsichord.

His Bach keyboard music recordings, while not quite as rhetorical (take it anyway you want) as ones by Rousset or Staier, have held up extremely well to my repeated listening, due to what I call a profound intelligence in rendering natural phrasing/rhythm. Plus the recorded sound is first rate for its time (mid- to late 1980s; Ross passed away in 1989) especially those on the Erato/Warner label. I just listened to his Partita 1 and still marvelled at his fluid and ever so subtle playing.

 

[eyeteeth]

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Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Blue eyes and probably heavy makeup as well. Oh the lavender shirt!

LOL.
I hadn't spent any time wondering (unconsiously trying to avoid the penetrating gaze?!!!) but now I do ask "who is that supposed to appeal to?"

Poor Lars Ulrik Mortensen gets relegated to the inside of his booklet

Is Bunnyears going to knock our school boys' heads together?

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by eyeteeth /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is Bunnyears going to knock our school boys' heads together?

A bit of naughtiness goes a long way in Bach! I think Diego
Fasolis certainly agreed with this when he made his "warped
style" Brandenburg Concertos which are a ball of fun and so
liberating.

 

[Bunnyears]

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Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Blue eyes and probably heavy makeup as well. Oh the lavender shirt! Quite the contrary to Rousset's image is that of late Scott Ross, who, despite being (neutralized) French and obviously a man of exquisite taste (his home at Arras was said to be "a mansion,") used to dress in timber men's jeans and plaid shirts to go onstage playing a dainty baroque harpsichord.

Oh Cruel! Scott Ross was not a neutralized French citizen but a naturalized French citizen.

His style of dress (or lack thereof) proves that you can take the man out of the Canadian backwoods, but you can't take the backwoods out of the man.

And Rousset's shirt is royal blue, not lavender.

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Originally Posted by eyeteeth /img/forum/go_quote.gif I received the Mortensen pair and Rousset 4cd set today but could give each only a cursory listen. Wow the Mortensen is sweet sounding in all ways. I only ran quickly through CD1 of Rousset, which is Goldberg Variations, and it seemed jarring to me. (What the heck do I know though). Of course I'll go through it fully. If it's still striking me wrong I'll just conclude that Bunny is a sucker for blue eyes!

I know the sound quality of that set is not the best as it dates from the earliest digital recording days, but it still contains some wonderful performances on the harpsichord. Take your time with it, the old-fashioned, drier accoustic takes some getting used to. Btw, he's playing a marvelous Hemsch instrument in those recordings and that recording of the Goldbergs is very highly regarded by many including Don Satz.

In his later recordings of the French and English Suites he uses a different instrument, a Johannes Ruckers harpsichord that's in a Museum in Colmar, France. The accoustic for those recordings has a lot more space and reverb, which contribute to a much "sweeter" sound than any of the early harpsichord recordings. If you really want to sample jarring recordings, try and get a hold of one of the Igor Kipnis recordings which are always priced for the budget. He not only had the driest accoustic but also used a harpsichord that Wanda Landowska would have loved: a metal monster whose construction was based on a modern piano.

WRT to Scott Ross, although I love his Scarlatti, I don't think his Goldbergs are in the same class with Rousset and Hantaï.




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Originally Posted by eyeteeth /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL. I hadn't spent any time wondering (unconsiously trying to avoid the penetrating gaze?!!!) but now I do ask "who is that supposed to appeal to?" Poor Lars Ulrik Mortensen gets relegated to the inside of his booklet Is Bunnyears going to knock our school boys' heads together?

Anyway, don't knock me for Rousset's appearance or strange taste in clothing and by now you should know that you cannot judge the book by the cover. I do admit his taste in clothing is execrable, though. When I saw him performing in NY with his group, Les Talens Lyriques, a couple of years ago he wore a very dark purplish-black velvet suit that didn't fit him well, but the play was wonderful (Bach orchestral suite no. 1, Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1059, LeClair Flute Concerto in C Major, Op. 7, No. 3; Rameau Suite from Castor et Pollux). He's about the same size as Prince and hopefully he's gotten past his purple rain period as well. I'll know by April 17 when he's performing in Weill Hall here in NY. Btw, Rousset had nothing to do with the design of that chubby case. If it were up to Rousset to design the album, it would have looked very different. Below is an example of something he has designed. That Decca set is so off-putting, that I have long suspected that the people over there do not hold Rousset in the greatest affection and merely issued the set when they saw that his oop Goldbergs were selling for more than $100 when they were available. (So sorry for the wallets of those who bought them at those inflated prices!)

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh Cruel! Scott Ross was not a neutralized French citizen but a naturalized French citizen. His style of dress (or lack thereof) proves that you can take the man out of the Canadian backwoods, but you can't take the backwoods out of the man. And Rousset's shirt is royal blue, not lavender.

At least I didn't write that Scott Ross was a "neutered" French citizen!

BTW, Ross made two Goldberg recordings. Have you heard both? The Erato live recording (cover shown above) is much preferrable to the one on EMI. And I actually like both of them about the same as the Hantai or the Rousset, radically different though they are in interpretation. There are those who do appeal more immediately, but there are also others whose beauty reveals itself only after repeated audition.

IMO it is unfortunate that, in designing for this "chubby box," the Decca/L'Oiseau-Lyre people didn't reuse the cover graphics from the original issues like they did elsewhere. I feel that black jeans does suit Rousset better than a purple/royal blue/lavender shirt does.

 

[Bunnyears]

Actually, I'm not sure which of of the Ross Goldbergs I have. My recording is a Virgin Veritas x2 release with the Frescobaldi Toccatas, so I suspect that it's the EMI recording. I'll see about getting the Erato after I make sure that I don't already have it tucked away somewhere in the boxes.

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I'm not sure which of of the Ross Goldbergs I have. My recording is a Virgin Veritas x2 release with the Frescobaldi Toccatas, so I suspect that it's the EMI recording. I'll see about getting the Erato after I make sure that I don't already have it tucked away somewhere in the boxes.

Yes that's correct: you have the EMI recording. This is what the original cover looks like: (sorry I am unable to find a clearer picture since the disc is thousands of miles away from where I am typing.)



Note that the live recording (Ottowa 1985) does not include all the repeats and is only 69 minutes long. His 1988 EMI studio recording is about 75 min. or so long and includes almost all (I cannot remember now) repeats indicated in the score.

 

[Bunnyears]

That's another very strange picture on the EMI cover! It looks as if Ross were trying out for a role as an ax murderer in the evil forest; very spooky looking indeed!

Meanwhile looking for pictures, I have discovered that he was born in Pittsburgh, was taken to France as an adolescent, and then traveled to Quebec where he taught. So despite his carefully cultivated appearance, he was far from the rustic soul he dressed as.

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's another very strange picture on the EMI cover! It looks as if Ross were trying out for a role as an ax murderer in the evil forest; very spooky looking indeed! Meanwhile looking for pictures, I have discovered that he was born in Pittsburgh, was taken to France as an adolescent, and then traveled to Quebec where he taught. So despite his carefully cultivated appearance, he was far from the rustic soul he dressed as.

But the French also love Jerry Lewis! "It's sooo bad it is good." The stranger the better. So the French-manufactured "Scott Ross the Axe Murderer" cover picture may be interpreted from the angle of French culture in the late 1980s. (The original recording was released by EMI France.)

There were real reasons behind Ross's "disguise" as a handyman: because he was one. He was an excellent carpenter and horticulturalist and did a lot of design for and worked on his own studio/house/garden. Of course the workman outfit may also have boosted the kind of masculine image he wanted to appear in when he was active in gay cultures and societies. For me most strange thing about Scott Ross is that, despite his rough hewn appearance, he knew exactly how to "touch" the dainty harpsichord and not just play it. Indeed I read from quite a few experienced listeners in France who still consider his integral Couperin (available on the small Stil label for an arm and a leg) unsurpassed.

 

[Bunnyears]

I haven't come across his Couperin, and haven't looked for it as I have Rousset's set. I do have the Bach 2000 edition of his Italian Concerto and Overture in B minor (BWV 971, 871) which is quite fine. Of course, his greatest achievement is the Scarlatti available in a box set, the price of which has sharply risen since being issued in 2005. Anyone who enjoys harpsichord music should at least think of acquiring that.

 

[eyeteeth]

Just an update my dear friends to say that after an afternoon listening to some 14 discs my jaw is aching (bit off more than I could chew) and there is a lot of digestion ahead.

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Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about Bob van Asperen's budget box on Virgin veritas (originally on EMI reflexe label)? The Asperen set will contrast nicely with your Pinnock as they sound very different indeed. http://www.virginclassics.com/releas....php?rid=19895

I want just one more mouthful.

 

[Masolino]

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Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif I haven't come across his Couperin, and haven't looked for it as I have Rousset's set.

Right. I have about 3/4 of the Rousset and the whole Olivier Baumont set. At over 130 euros for either half of the 12-disc set (and rare availablity to boot), I don't think I will have the Scott Ross complete Coueprin in my possession anytime soon, either. Hélas!

IMO the best Bach playing done by Scott Ross is found in his WTC, 1985 Goldberg and Parititas, even though I agree with you that the Italian concerto and misc. disc is quite fine as well, if not on the same same level of concentration and intensity. One interesting aspect about that recording is that some bird is heard chirpping away merrily in betwen movements on that recording! Must be a really serene and quiet morning when it was made.