Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #719555 in Music
• Released on: 2002-07-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

Customer Reviews

Bach keyboard works a la Casadesus
The 6th French Suite (dating from Bach's Cothen period) was recorded by Casadesus in 1951 and is included in his Philips Great Pianists 2CD set. The E minor Toccata is from Bach's early Arnstadt period while the Italian Concerto and C minor Partita are from the later Leipzig years. These pieces cover an almost 30 year period from 1706-1735 and reveal the clavier as an important vehicle for communicating Bach's musical imagination. The performances of these works are all exemplary with bright tempos and articulation, and part playing wonderfully crisp and clear. Casadesus makes great sense of the various linear strands, shaping each of them with the independence that they demand. The music has a rhythmic energy that makes movements such as the Rondeaux of the Partita and the Finale of the Italian Concerto dance along with an exciting forward momentum. He has considered which beats of a measure get more or less emphasis and as Bach intended, it is not always the same from measure to measure. Choice of dynamic contrast and execution of ornaments strengthen the structure of the music and Bach's affirmation of life and exuberance as a musician and human being is clearly communicated. This is valid Bach playing on the piano as any you will hear and a fine alternative to the Bach specialists we already enjoy. A recording to be savoured by the amateur or the professional.