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Posted: Friday | 08.13.10
Alternate Interpretations of J. S. Bach’s music!
For those of you (like me) who adore the music of Bach, here’s what you might like: How do different artists perform the same work?
Certainly this is a matter of personal taste, and I thought you may enjoy to compare how several well-known pianist approach Bach’s masterpieces. Click below to hear Sviatoslav Richter, Glenn Gould, Angela Hewitt, and others explore the Prelude and Fugue number 17, in A-flat Major, from the Well – Tempered Clavier Book 1 of Johann Sebastian Bach:
Pay particular attention to the Fugue, and see if you can hear the recurring theme of La-mi-do-la-fa-re-me…
Enter your own comments at the bottom of this Blog.
First, here’s Sviatoslav Richter:
Now compare that with Friedrich Gulda:
And here is Angela Hewitt:
What do you think about Joanna MacGregor:
And last, let hear what Glenn Gould does with this music:
Hank Zauderer is a violinist and an artist. He regularly hosts an evening classical music program at NPR radio station KUSP in Santa Cruz, California. In the past he was a member of several symphony orchestras and chamber music groups. In particular, he loves the study of great composers and feels that music composition so often reflects the key events that took place in a composer's life.
One Comment
The idea of comparison is entertaining as well as educational. Too bad someone goofed and had Hewitt playing the other A-flat prelude and fugue, i.e., from WTC II.
Richter’s performance was awash in pedal. Gould’s fugue was a relief from the seriousness of the previous renditions.
For me, Hewitt’s elegance, shaping of structure, clarity, and individuality make her a winner, even if she’s not playing the same prelude and fugue as the others!