Among richter s vast canon of legendary recordings, his wtc is unsurpassed for spiritual, musical and inspirational beauty. Welltempered clavier, book 1 by sviatoslav richter, j. Sr interpretations of jsbs music are amazing in the sense that in the former ussr, jsbs music was considered as reactionary and of little interest. Richter innsbruck 1973 bach wtc dvdaudio by parnassus. History of music bach wtc 1 prelude in g major richter. I had reported that richters wtc book 1 on russian revelation was an outstanding performance in poor sound. Richter live in innsbruck, 1973 thought i had offered this one here before but i cant find it now so probably i didnt. Im not on a bach binge any longer, but theres one version ive had a hankering for which i had not acquired friedrich guldas set recorded in 1973 by philips. The c major prelude from book 1 the first one is probably the easiest for a beginner its actually one of the harder ones to do really well. Perhaps they will be of interest to folks wanting to learn more about this iconic and fascinating composer at the core of baroque music and a key influence on the classical and romantic waves that followed. In fact, bach wrote some incredibly emotional music but emotional in a stiff upper lipneverloseyourcomposure no pun intended way. In this commentary the author sees the progression and events from both the old and the new testament in the wtc. Prelude and fugue in g minor, bwv 861 bach, johann sebastian movementssections movtssecs.
The welltempered clavier, part 2 bwv 870893 the welltempered clavier 2 is the second collection of twentyfour preludes and fugues covering all tonalities which bach completed around 1742. On the title page of book i, bach himself has written. Id start with the preludes in the keys you are familiar with. The welltempered clavier, book 1prelude and fugue no. Bach well temp butt linn records ckd463 dc classical.
Furthermore, it should be mentioned that glenn goulds wtc is generally considered his least successful bach interpretation. Sviatoslav richter in salzburg, 1973 bach wtc ii 00. Brahms violin sonatas by chung kyung wha,frakl emi. For most arrangements, see the separate pages for the individual preludes and fugues. Tf has an exceptionally smooth technique, which enables him to produce often fast and entirely lucid interpretations, that have a very straight and classical approach to it. Its another older upload thats on the cusp of disappearing unless someone wants it. An astonishing demonstration of bachs mature understanding of the compositional techniques and. Richter is a phenomenal pianist, whatever the repertoire. The welltempered clavier, or preludes and fugues in all tones and semitones, in major as well as minor. Gould in no way beats out richters live or studio performances, or those of any of the other competitors mentioned above. The last wtc comparison i did was an alllp fest done years ago, with richtersalzburg easily topping gould who i felt was fascinating for about one lp side at a time, but whose metronomic presentation palled quickly thereafterand thus i gave away my integral set to a friend whos a certified gould maven and joao carlos martins a very fine.
In fact, as we go on we find that richter always seeks unity between each pair of preludes and fugues, making the fugue grow out of the prelude and maintaining the same sort of sound, except in the few cases. Although recorded in 1969, it might as well have been 1939. Richter bach the welltempered clavier book bwv 846 893. This must be my leadin to richter s account of bach s wtc, book i from russian revelation. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer.
Well tempered clavier, book i sviatoslav richter on allmusic 2004 with its. Listen to these exquisite renderings of bach s preludes and fugues and youll literally hear the pianists heart beat in the music. Assuming one has mastered the 2 and 3part inventions and has a grasp of the contrapuntal style, how does one go about learning the wtc. Best books on bach i grew to become an adept of bach last year and read several books that i loved. This must be my leadin to richter s account of bach s wtc, book 1 from russian revelation.
So, this is not only a fivestar performance, but amongst the very finest that exist, and the best that i know of. Prelude and fugue in g minor, bwv 861 bach, johann. Guldas welltempered clavier book ii bach cantatas website. Welltempered clavier, book i and book ii sviatoslav richter. Certainly, it is much more satisfying than most other modern 21st century recorded versions like hewitts on hyperion. Welltempered clavier, book 1 by kimiko ishizaka in 2012, the japanesegerman classical musician kimiko ishizaka made available to the world an open version of j. Walter gieseking plays bach wtc the well tempered clavier, book 2. This is a live recording of richter playing the wtc book 1 in moscow 1969. Johann sebastian bach bwv 846869 welltempered clavier i piano 1722. The welltempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the welltempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Im not so concerned about authenticity of early keyboard versions, but my ears love the amazingly astute, evocative and utterly beautiful phrasing that both richter and feinberg offer. However, if asked to put together my ideal wtc, i might well go with richter salzburg for book 1 and feinberg for book 2. It is not completely without merit, but for many this is the one where he missed. With its magnificent and magisterial performances by sviatoslav richter, one would have imagined that this 1970 recording of the first book of bach s welltempered clavier would be on the shelf of everyone who reveres richter and worships bach.
The prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. Fugue d major the d major fugue is a very interesting piece, as there are some parallels to the first part of a french overture, with its ornamental lines and dotted notes almost in the style of jean babtiste lully. Mar 14, 2012 i suspect that anybody looking at this cd probably wont need any comments on its artistic quality, so ill keep it brief and to the point. I suspect that anybody looking at this cd probably wont need any comments on its artistic quality, so ill keep it brief and to the point. Even more amazing is the fact that richter learned the second book of this musical collection by heart in only one month. Gould in no way beats out richter s live or studio performances, or those of any of the other competitors mentioned above. Bach, the welltempered clavier, book 1 sviatoslav richter 1969 duration. I have not managed to find any posting on the may 2016 parnassus release on one dvdaudio. Sviatoslav richters recording of the welltempered clavier is my favourite rendition i prefer it to even that of glenn gould.
Bachs goldberg variations performed on a bosendorfer 290 imperial piano in berlin. Bach welltempered clavier complete andras schiff pn ecm 001733702 4 cds. Ranking of difficulty of well tempered clavier preludes. 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. Bach wtc by richter cd2 only brahms string quartets no. Complete score of the welltempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open welltempered clavier project. Hungarian string trios by deutsches streichtrio cp. His renderings are true to the pieces as they were originally written, before glenn gould. The welltempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa. Dublin ant edinburgh, and professor of music in university of dublin, uted by b. That said, id be surprised if he hadnt read through at least much of the second book earlier in his life, so learnt in a month might be a slight exaggeration on the part of bruno monsaingeon, who seems to be the source of the story albeit a. This might be fine, were it not bachs idea to give the main fugue theme its upbeat in an eighth note leading to the third beat of the bar. Karl richter, a leader in reviving interest in baroque music and a conductor and organist best known for his bach interpretations, was found dead in. For the most part andrew rangell resists playing simply.
At the moment im leaning towards richters but feinbergs is a close second. Tonights friday night beauty, the f minor prelude and fugue from book. Among richters vast canon of legendary recordings, his wtc is unsurpassed for spiritual, musical and inspirational beauty. Welltempered clavier, book i sviatoslav richter on allmusic 2004 with its. Welltempered clavier, book 1 by sviatoslav richter. In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding an. Bach, the welltempered clavier, book 1 sviatoslav richter. Bachs welltempered clavier which collection to buy. The welltempered clavier live in innsbruck, julyaugust 1973 played on piano by sviatoslav richter is superlative, very lively, perhaps a little fast at times but always engaging and in sum, a very satisfying performance. I cant report that the sound quality disguises his brilliance. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j.
Each part consists of twentyfour preludes and fugues, one prelude and one fugue in each of the twelve major and minor keys. I have lived with these recordings for 10 years and never grow tired of hearing them. I know the real answer is by working with an excellent teacher and years of practice, startingly slowly, yada yada. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Bwv878 bwv883 sviatoslav richter, piano 19721973 prelude and. Download a free and public domain recording and musical.
Tf is a young austrian pianist whose wtc book 1 is very well played and worth to listen to. I was listening on headphones the first few times i listened to the set and never did i have the smarts to figure out that keeping my distance might well improve matters. Welltempered clavier, book i and book ii sviatoslav. Well tempered clavier book 1 prelude in g major sviatoslav richter, piano. Sviatoslav richter bachs instrumental works discography. There is a prejudice among aficionados of more romantic classical music that bach is cold, as his music is so formal and structured. Sviatoslav richter the welltempered clavier, book 1. Richter had a vast repertoire, which he played only from memory before 1908 or so, so one would guess he memorised pieces relatively readily. Sr took on the wtc after an encounter with gg at his journey to moscow and while one can feel a lack of connectivity of his approaches with modern bach interpretation. Among piano versions of bachs fabled 48, this may be the least welltempered book i in the catalog. Johann sebastian bach 1685 1750 the welltempered clavier, book 1 00. Im looking at purchasing a cd of the wtc book 1 and maybe 2. The wtc was written for the harpsichord, but is now mostly performed on its successor, the piano.