Johann Sebastian Bach - The Art Of Fugue

"If there is a recording of Bach's music which, in spite of this competitive variety, has achieved exceptional status, not least because it has been heard throughout the entire world, it is Helmut Walcha's version of The Art of Fugue. For Walcha himself, his realisation of the work on his chosen instrument reflected 'the inner message of this music' and did so, moreover, 'in a very special way'. Walcha's playing is entirely concerned with the linearity of the text and as such leaves the listener in no doubt that the organist's aim was to allow the notes on the printed page to speak for themselves as far as possible. The recording was made on the main organ at St. Laurenskerk in Alkmaar in the Netherlands between 9 and 14 September 1956 and was Deutsche Grammophon's very first stereo recording, even though it was initially released in mono only, the stereo recording not following until the early 1960s.

"The international acclaim accorded Walcha's reading of Bach's enigmatic opus was due in no small part to the clarity of his playing with its abundant use of legato, the elegance of the part-writing suggesting an objective approach to the music. No less important, however, was the international standing of Deutsche Grammophon's Archiv label, whose recordings were felt to have archival value on the world's record markets of the time. Though not in fact the first recording of The Art of Fugue - it had been preceded by ten others, including organ versions by E. Power Biggs (1940) and Fritz Heit-mann (1950) - Walcha's interpretation quickly acquired benchmark status, thanks also to the technical quality of the recording. Its reissue on CD restores to the catalogue a performance that is part of the canon of the 20th-century history of interpretation and which - quite rightly - is of particular significance to the reception history of Bach's music. 

"Among the other works included in the present release, the Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 is of special interest. This is a work that owes its great popularity in the English-speaking world to the brilliantly virtuoso version for large orchestra that was prepared by Leopold Stokowski and used by Walt Disney in his film Fantasia. The suspicion voiced by several Bach scholars on the basis of its stylistic peculiarities that the work may originally have been conceived for solo violin, or may not even be by Bach at all, does nothing to alter the fact that this is a stupendous display vehicle, generating the most powerful sonorities, with a fugal section notable for its strict motoric rhythms. It is impossible to imagine a more effective piece of music." (Martin Elste, tr. Stewart Spencer. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Helmut Walcha

1.1. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus I
1.2. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus II
1.3. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus III
1.4. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus IV
1.5. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus V
1.6. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus VI, A 4, In Stylo Francese
1.7. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus VII, A 4, Per Augumentationem Et Diminutionem
1.8. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus VIII, A 3
1.9. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus IX, A 4, Alla Duodecima
1.10. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus X, A 4, Alla Decima
1.11. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus XI, A 4
1.12. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XIV) Canon Alla Ottava
1.13. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XVII) Canon Alla Duodecima In Contrapuncto Alla Quinta
1.14. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XVI) Canon Alla Decima In Contrapuncto Alla Terza
1.15. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XV) Canon Per Augumentationem In Contrario Motu
1.16. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XIII) Contrapunctus A 3 - Rectus
1.17. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XIII) Contrapunctus A 3 - Inversus
1.18. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XII) Contrapunctus A 4 - Rectus
1.19. Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080: (XII) Contrapunctus A 4 - Inversus

2.1. Fuga A 3 Soggetti
2.2. Prelude & Fuge, BWV 547: Praeludium
2.3. Prelude & Fuge, BWV 547: Fuga
2.4. Trio Sonata No. 1, BWV 525: I. (Allegro)
2.5. Trio Sonata No. 1, BWV 525: II. Adagio
2.6. Trio Sonata No. 1, BWV 525: III. Allegro
2.7. Toccata, Adagio & Fugue, BWV 564: Toccata
2.8. Toccata, Adagio & Fugue, BWV 564: Adagio
2.9. Toccata, Adagio & Fugue, BWV 564: Fuga
2.10. Trio Sonata No. 6, BWV 530: I. Vivace
2.11. Trio Sonata No. 6, BWV 530: II. Lento
2.12. Trio Sonata No. 6, BWV 530: III. Allegro
2.13. Toccata & Fugue, BWV 565: Toccata - Adagio
2.14. Toccata & Fugue, BWV 565: Fuga

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Kevin Drumm - Quiet Nights

Another self released Kevin Drumm album. We start off with calm ambience then ever-so-slowly plunge into dark, unsettling sound work throughout the hour. Presumably a very limited CDr run, with each package signed by Drumm; it was released simultaneously (for a very reasonable price) on his Bandcamp here.

1. Quiet Nights

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Johann Baptist Vanhal - 3 Late String Quartets

"The 'Hoffmeister-Quartets', written a little later than Opus 33, are perhaps closer to Mozart in style. The middle movement of the quartet in E flat is particularly reminiscent of Arias in Mozart's great operas. Mozart's Figaro, composed in the same year, was possibly inspirational here, and the plainer development sections of Mozart's quartets also show their influence. The use of the instruments seems closer to Mozart's as well: parallel motion in thirds and octaves and the thinning out into three parts as a means of contrast are also characteristics of Mozart's quartets.

"As performers we needed to adjust to Vanhal's musical and technical peculiarities, as, like every composer, Vanhal has his idiosyncrasies, and calls for us as performers to engage with his music and to learn to satisfy individual technical demands. The first violin part in Opus 33 is especially demanding, it repeatedly reaches up into the highest position right up to the end of the finger board — was Vanhal perhaps trying to 'tickle' his quartet partner Haydn in a friendly manner? We became very fond of the three quartets on this CD whilst working on them — they show an inner perfection which we quite often miss in works of other contemporary composers. We hope to do Vanhal some service with this CD by making these first-class string quartets available to rediscovery. We can well imagine Haydn and Mozart at quartet parties, playing Vanhal's quartets with great pleasure and appreciating their inherent ingenuity." (Members of the Camesina Quartet. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Camesina Quartet

1. String Quartet In E-Flat Major 'Hoffmeister' No. 2: I. Allegro Con Fuoco
2. String Quartet In E-Flat Major 'Hoffmeister' No. 2: II. Adagio
3. String Quartet In E-Flat Major 'Hoffmeister' No. 2: III. Allegro
4. String Quartet In F Major Op. 33 No. 3: I. Allegro Moderato
5. String Quartet In F Major Op. 33 No. 3: II. Arietta I - Arietta II. Tempo Moderato
6. String Quartet In F Major Op. 33 No. 3: III. Adagio
7. String Quartet In F Major Op. 33 No. 3: IV. Allegro Con Fuoco
8. String Quartet In A Major Op. 33 No. 2: I. Allegro Moderato
9. String Quartet In A Major Op. 33 No. 2: II. Arietta I - Arietta II
10. String Quartet In A Major Op. 33 No. 2: III. Adagio Sostenuto
11. String Quartet In A Major Op. 33 No. 2: IV. Rondo. Allegro Molto

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Joseph Haydn - String Quartets, Op. 33 Nos. 2, 3 & 5

"The musicians of the Párkányí Quartet have striven to put Haydn back into his Austro-Hungarian context and underscore the modernism of these works, with their surprising density and brevity. They avoid any reference to the Romantic style, which would span the 19th century from Beethoven to Brahms, their approach leading directly from 1780 to the 'Classicism' of the 20th century. It shows to best advantage the dimension that is both 'popular' and 'highbrow' in these works, bringing out their humour and the amazing inventiveness on three levels: rhythm, phrasing that is always lightened or simplified but with a clearly identifiable main thread, and finally, the playful use of structural artifices (sonata form that is sometimes monothematic; the minuet rcplaced by a scherzo, occasionally imitating the Ländler, and rondo or finale with variations). The composer seems to use surprises and jokes sparingly: cantabile playing in gaillarde rhythms; modelling of the Baroque style rid of all ornamentation other than noted which might weaken the clarity of the melodic-rhythmic design; abrupt interruptions and recapitulations transfigured by long pauses... in order to bring a smile to the listener's lips with so many winks and a dialectical opening on writing processes." (Pierre E. Barbier, tr. John Tyler Tuttle. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Párkányí Quartet

1. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 33 No. 3, Hob. III. 39 'Vogel-Quartett': I. Allegro Moderato
2. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 33 No. 3, Hob. III. 39 'Vogel-Quartett': II. Scherzo: Allegretto
3. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 33 No. 3, Hob. III. 39 'Vogel-Quartett': III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
4. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 33 No. 3, Hob. III. 39 'Vogel-Quartett': IV. Rondo: Presto
5. String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. 33 No. 2, Hob. III. 38 'The Joke': I. Allegro Moderato
6. String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. 33 No. 2, Hob. III. 38 'The Joke': II. Scherzo: Allegro
7. String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. 33 No. 2, Hob. III. 38 'The Joke': III. Largo E Sostenuto
8. String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. 33 No. 2, Hob. III. 38 'The Joke': IV. Finale: Presto
9. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 33 No. 5, Hob. III. 41: I. Vivace Assai
10. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 33 No. 5, Hob. III. 41: II. Largo E Cantabile
11. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 33 No. 5, Hob. III. 41: III. Scherzo: Allegro
12. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 33 No. 5, Hob. III. 41: IV. Finale: Allegretto

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Joseph Haydn - The Last Piano Sonatas

"[...] And at the end of 1980, in one of [Gould's] last (telephone) interviews with the journalist Ulla Colgrass of Music Magazine, he declared: 'Part of a long-term plan that I developed when I was around twenty years old was to stop concertizing when I was thirty and to record probably until I was fifty. Well, I stopped concertizing in my early thirties and my contract with CBS (which Gould had extended for a further five years on April 25, 1978) runs a bit beyond my fiftieth year - but I'm not a stickler for such detail. After that, there is going to be a major change of gears, much as there was twenty years ago - about which I prefer to say nothing at the moment. I have always believed in change, because there are too many things I want to do.'

"Since Gould had evidently been planning this 'major change of gears' for some time and was clearly entirely serious about it, one might be forgiven for expecting him to spend his final months and years in the recording studio completing (or at least continuing) the long-term projects that had occupied him throughout the earlier part of his career, chief of which were his recordings of Bach's complete works for unaccompanied keyboard and all 32 of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. But such an assumption would be wide of the mark: his revisionary recording of the Goldberg Variations, to say nothing of piano works by Brahms and Richard Strauss, lay as far outside this repertory as did the six late Piano Sonatas by Joseph Haydn that were released as a double album in February 1982 - the last of Gould's recordings to appear during his lifetime. Unlike Brahms or Strauss, however, Joseph Haydn had never figured prominently in Gould's biography or discography (always discounting the fact that, as a thirteen-year-old boy, he had christened one of his goldfish 'Haydn'). The only exceptions are the two E-flat major Sonatas, Hob. XVI: 49 and 52, the first of which occasionally featured in Gould's recitals during the late 1950s (he also recorded it for Columbia in January 1958), white the second was selected for one of his CBC Thursday Music programmes in December 1968. In this context it is worth recalling one of Gould's most fundamental statements about his art: 'I only do those things that I really want to do and care deeply about.'" (Michael Stegemann, tr. Stewart Spencer. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Glenn Gould

1. Piano Sonata In C Major, Hob. XVI: 48: I. Andante Con Espressione
2. Piano Sonata In C Major, Hob. XVI: 48: II. Rondo. Presto
3. Piano Sonata In E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 49: I. Allegro
4. Piano Sonata In E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 49: II. Adagio E Cantabile
5. Piano Sonata In E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 49: III. Finale. Tempo Di Minuet
6. Piano Sonata In C Major, Hob. XVI: 50: I. Allegro
7. Piano Sonata In C Major, Hob. XVI: 50: II. Adagio
8. Piano Sonata In C Major, Hob. XVI: 50: III. Allegro Molto
9. Piano Sonata In D Major, Hob. XVI: 51: I. Andante
10. Piano Sonata In D Major, Hob. XVI: 51: II. Finale. Presto
11. Piano Sonata In E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52: I. Allegro
12. Piano Sonata In E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52: II. Adagio
13. Piano Sonata In E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52: III. Finale. Presto

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Johann Sebastian Bach - English Suites, BWV 806-811

"[...] In short, these were no laboratory trials, but experiments in interpretation; and if Gould was no "tape wizard", he was certainly a sound magician without equal, for whom the recording studio was like an alchemist's alembic. Indeed, "L'Alchimiste" was the title of the second part of Monsaingeon's film. 

"It remains to comment on the remarkable fact that almost two years elapsed between Gould's recording of the Second English Suite on May 23. 1971 and his continuation of the Bach project on March 11, 1973. There appear, in fact, to have been two reasons for the long gap: first, Gould's grand piano - his legendary Steinway CD 318 - had been so badly damaged in transit in December 1971 that it was temporarily unusable for record-ings; with the exception of his recording of the first four Handel Suites on a harpsichord (Glenn Gould Edition SMK 52590), it was not until November 5, 1972 - almost a year later -that Gould could record anything else on it. Second, his manager Ronald Wilford had con-tacted Deutsche Grammophon at the end of 1971 with a view to arranging for Gould to transfer to the Hamburg-based company, a move that would naturally have involved re-cordings of works by Bach. 'In many ways, the ideal Bach project for DGG would be the six English Suites', Gould wrote to Wilford on December 21, 1971. 'Of these, unfortunately, I have quite recently taped, though not yet released, no. 2 in A minor but, perhaps, if we were to trade off the completion of the French Suites project, CBS might permit us to re-record the A minor within the next five years.' Even if negotiations with Deutsche Grammophon finally came to nothing, they must nevertheless have caused a delay to Columbia's own recording of the English Suites." (Michael Stegemann, tr. Stewart Spencer. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Glenn Gould

1.1. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: I. Prélude
1.2. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: II. Allemande
1.3. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: III. Courante I
1.4. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: IV. Courante II
1.5. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: V. Double I
1.6. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: VI. Double II
1.7. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: VII. Sarabande
1.8. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: VIII. Bourrée I
1.9. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: IX. Bourrée II — Bourrée I Da Capo
1.10. Suite No. 1 In A Major, BWV 806: X. Gigue
1.11. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: I. Prélude
1.12. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: II. Allemande
1.13. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: III. Courante
1.14. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: IV. Sarabande — Les Agréments De La Même Sarabande
1.15. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: V. Bourrée I
1.16. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: VI. Bourree II — Bourrée I Da Capo
1.17. Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807: VII. Gigue
1.18. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: I. Prélude
1.19. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: II. Allemande
1.20. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: III. Courante
1.21. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: IV. Sarabande — Les Agréments De La Même Sarabande
1.22. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: V. Gavotte I (Ou La Musette)
1.23. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: VI. Gavotte II — Gavotte I Da Capo
1.24. Suite No. 3 In G Minor, BWV 808: VII. Gigue

2.1. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: I. Prélude
2.2. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: II. Allemande
2.3. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: III. Courante
2.4. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: IV. Sarabande
2.5. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: V. Menuett I
2.6. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: VI. Menuett II — Menuett I Da Capo
2.7. Suite No. 4 In F Major, BWV 809: VII. Gigue
2.8. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: I. Prélude
2.9. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: II. Allemande
2.10. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: III. Courante
2.11. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: IV. Sarabande
2.12. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: V. Passepied I (En Rondeau)
2.13. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: VI. Passepied II — Passepied I Da Capo
2.14. Suite No. 5 In E Minor, BWV 810: VII. Gigue
2.15. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: I. Prélude
2.16. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: II. Allemande
2.17. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: III. Courante
2.18. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: IV. Sarabande
2.19. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: V. Double
2.20. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: VI. Gavotte I
2.21. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: VII. Gavotte II — Gavotte I Da Capo
2.22. Suite No. 6 In D Minor, BWV 811: VIII. Gigue

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Herbert Howells - Chamber Music

"Herbert Howells’ style, immediately recognisable for its long melodic lines, rhapsodic nature and rich harmonies, defined the sound of English cathedral music in the 20th century. His studies in London imbued his works with sophistication and a French influence, which were intertwined with a nostalgic 'heart-ache' for the 'real Gloucestershire', as can be heard in String Quartet No. 3. The charming little character stories in Lady Audrey’s Suite tell of countryside and church, while the Piano Quartet in A minor is dedicated ‘To the Hill at Chosen and Ivor Gurney who knows it’, portraying a favourite local vantage point at different seasons as well as poignantly remembering a lost friendship." (Jonathan Clinch. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Dante Quartet, Gould Piano Trio, David Adams

1. String Quartet No. 3 'In Gloucestershire': I. With Easy And Flexible Movement
2. String Quartet No. 3 'In Gloucestershire': II. Fairly Quick, But Always Rhythmical
3. String Quartet No. 3 'In Gloucestershire': III. Slow In Pace, With Much Feeling
4. String Quartet No. 3 'In Gloucestershire': IV. Allegro Vivace - Assai Ritmico
5. Lady Audrey's Suite, Op. 19: I. The 4 Sleepy Golliwogs' Dance
6. Lady Audrey's Suite, Op. 19: II. The Little Girl And The Old Shepherd
7. Lady Audrey's Suite, Op. 19: III. Prayer-Time
8. Lady Audrey's Suite, Op. 19: IV. The Old Shepherd's Tale
9. Piano Quartet In A Minor, Op. 21: I. Allegro Moderato - Tranquillo
10. Piano Quartet In A Minor, Op. 21: II. Lento, Molto Tranquillo
11. Piano Quartet In A Minor, Op. 21: III. Allegro Molto - Energico

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