Rating: 
Summary: A Mixed Bag of Bach
Review: AndreGavrilov Joanna MacGregor
When I purchased this DVD I was mainly interested in seeing and hearing four very different pianists performing the Bach Prelude and Fugues. My own incentive for wanting it was that I am an amateur pianist, and have worked on a number of these pieces. Un fortunately what we have here is a very mixed bag, and I can't quite imagine the intended audience for this strange presentation. The origin of the DVD seems to be a series of BBC shorts which each presented a separate prelude and fugue. There are screen credits before each prelude and fugue. What the disc description doesn't tell you (and this is very important) is that you have to listen to the artists expound on each prelude and fugue before they actually play it. And worse, there are no separate tracks for the commentary and it is impossible to watch and listen to the pianists unless you fast-forward through their sometimes inane commentaries. The worst is the first: Andre Gavrilov. His English at times seems minimal; he does have a good command of American slang (He says at one point, "This reminds me of crap..."). Then we have the very properly English accent of MacGregor who expounds on the meaning of Bach in her life and generally emotes but little else. I will probably use portions of this for finger technique study, but I can't imagine anyone enduring more than 5 minutes of it at a time. If the commentaries could be cut out efficiently, then a longer stretch might be bearable. God save us from false or misleading advertising which is a major flaw of the promotion for this DVD.
Bach is overshadowed by his inarticulate artists.
Rating: 
Summary: Sub-Optimal Presentation of Bach's Music
Review: Bach's Preludes & Fugues for Well-Tempered Clavier is so manifestly a production of genius that it is almost redundant to debate it's merits. I must admit that those equating the work to the "Old Testament" (I think that this derives from a later composer) rather miss the point. Bach's genius transcends the centuries; there is nothing "Old" about these works though they are framed in the Baroque style. Much modern music is based on the developments which Bach made in his works and as a composer his music is more influential today in a variety of genres of music than any other musician.Anyway, I digress. The main point I would like to make regarding this production is that it is based on instruments which Bach did not write for nor intend this work to be presented on. Chronologically, the fortepiano emerged only towards the last few years of Bach's career and at that stage was vastly inferior to today's established instrument. While the piano as an instrument has many strengths and is excellent for the Romantic and High Classical composers it is simply inferior for Baroque music and therefore for Bach. However, pianists have been able to get away with playing Bach because, not to put too fine a point on it, Bach would still sound excellent played on bagpipes. Why? Because the strength of Bach's imagination and perfect understanding of musical fundamentals mean that his compositions are musically so robust that they travel well through many media. I would suggest that until you have heard Bach's keyboard music played on the instrument it was actually intended for you have been served up a pale imitation of what he wrote. Bach wrote for Organs and "Clavier" which is a generic German word for keyboard. The keyboard Bach would have identified for the performance of this work was the Harpsichord and it's related instruments, the Spinet and Virginal. In addition the Clavichord would have been an acceptable practise instrument but would have lacked the projection of the Harpsichord for performance. This point is of primary importance with this music due the complex contrapuntal nature of the compositions; it is important to be able to bring the "voices" out clearly with precise tone and this is what the Harpsichord excels at. Move away from this instrument and compromise immediately sets in; notes get drowned out and absorbed into the pervasive resonance of the piano regardless of the skills of the musician. It's clear then that the listener or musician who wishes to experience this music in the best possible way will look for a Harpsichord version and leave the piano versions on the shelf.
Why four stars? Well, obviously, five for the composition; three for the interpretation. My advice then is to search out a Harpsichord version of this great work.
Rating:
Summary: Sub-Optimal Presentation of Bach's Music
Review: Bach's Preludes & Fugues for Well-Tempered Clavier is so manifestly a production of genius that it is almost redundant to debate it's merits. I must admit that those equating the work to the "Old Testament" (I think that this derives from a later composer) rather miss the point. Bach's genius transcends the centuries; there is nothing "Old" about these works though they are framed in the Baroque style. Much modern music is based on the developments which Bach made in his works and as a composer his music is more influential today in a variety of genres of music than any other musician. Anyway, I digress. The main point I would like to make regarding this production is that it is based on instruments which Bach did not write for nor intend this work to be presented on. Chronologically, the fortepiano emerged only towards the last few years of Bach's career and at that stage was vastly inferior to today's established instrument. While the piano as an instrument has many strengths and is excellent for the Romantic and High Classical composers it is simply inferior for Baroque music and therefore for Bach. However, pianists have been able to get away with playing Bach because, not to put too fine a point on it, Bach would still sound excellent played on bagpipes. Why? Because the strength of Bach's imagination and perfect understanding of musical fundamentals mean that his compositions are musically so robust that they travel well through many media. I would suggest that until you have heard Bach's keyboard music played on the instrument it was actually intended for you have been served up a pale imitation of what he wrote. Bach wrote for Organs and "Clavier" which is a generic German word for keyboard. The keyboard Bach would have identified for the performance of this work was the Harpsichord and it's related instruments, the Spinet and Virginal. In addition the Clavichord would have been an acceptable practise instrument but would have lacked the projection of the Harpsichord for performance. This point is of primary importance with this music due the complex contrapuntal nature of the compositions; it is important to be able to bring the "voices" out clearly with precise tone and this is what the Harpsichord excels at. Move away from this instrument and compromise immediately sets in; notes get drowned out and absorbed into the pervasive resonance of the piano regardless of the skills of the musician. It's clear then that the listener or musician who wishes to experience this music in the best possible way will look for a Harpsichord version and leave the piano versions on the shelf.
Why four stars? Well, obviously, five for the composition; three for the interpretation. My advice then is to search out a Harpsichord version of this great work.
Rating:
Summary: Sub-Optimal Presentation of Bach's Music
Review: Bach's Preludes & Fugues for Well-Tempered Clavier is so manifestly a production of genius that it is almost redundant to debate it's merits. I must admit that those equating the work to the "Old Testament" (I think that this derives from a later composer) rather miss the point. Bach's genius transcends the centuries; there is nothing "Old" about these works though they are framed in the Baroque style. Much modern music is based on the developments which Bach made in his works and as a composer his music is more influential today in a variety of genres of music than any other musician. Anyway, I digress. The main point I would like to make regarding this production is that it is based on instruments which Bach did not write for nor intend this work to be presented on. Chronologically, the fortepiano emerged only towards the last few years of Bach's career and at that stage was vastly inferior to today's established instrument. While the piano as an instrument has many strengths and is excellent for the Romantic and High Classical composers it is simply inferior for Baroque music and therefore for Bach. However, pianists have been able to get away with playing Bach because, not to put too fine a point on it, Bach would still sound excellent played on bagpipes. Why? Because the strength of Bach's imagination and perfect understanding of musical fundamentals mean that his compositions are musically so robust that they travel well through many media. I would suggest that until you have heard Bach's keyboard music played on the instrument it was actually intended for you have been served up a pale imitation of what he wrote. Bach wrote for Organs and "Clavier" which is a generic German word for keyboard. The keyboard Bach would have identified for the performance of this work was the Harpsichord and it's related instruments, the Spinet and Virginal. In addition the Clavichord would have been an acceptable practise instrument but would have lacked the projection of the Harpsichord for performance. This point is of primary importance with this music due the complex contrapuntal nature of the compositions; it is important to be able to bring the "voices" out clearly with precise tone and this is what the Harpsichord excels at. Move away from this instrument and compromise immediately sets in; notes get drowned out and absorbed into the pervasive resonance of the piano regardless of the skills of the musician. It's clear then that the listener or musician who wishes to experience this music in the best possible way will look for a Harpsichord version and leave the piano versions on the shelf.
Why four stars? Well, obviously, five for the composition; three for the interpretation. My advice then is to search out a Harpsichord version of this great work.
Rating:
Summary: Get this DVD for MacGregor and Hewitt's performances
Review: Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier is one of my favorite pieces and I was elated when I found this DVD. Each of the artists plays 12 of the Preludes and Fugues. For Book 1, Gavrilov plays the first 12 and MacGregor the second 12. For Book 2, Demidenko plays the first 12, and Hewitt plays the remaining pieces. I was very impressed by the female pianists (Joanna MacGregor and Angela Hewitt), whose performances were a lot more graceful, colorful, and musical than the male artists. I especially enjoyed MacGregor for her concise yet insightful comments on each piece she plays and each of her performances sparkled with colorful intonation and displayed her outstanding musicianship. The same could be said of Angela Hewitt's comments and performances. Demidenko's performance was competent but a bit on the mechanical side. It was really hard to hear what he was saying in his comments. Gavrilov's performance was adequate. His performance was the least impressive of the four. Even worse were his comments, much of which was jibberish and nonsensical (he even uses the word "crap" -- how classy of him). I often fast-forwarded his comments. I agree with some of the reviewers that the formatting could have been a lot better. Instead of dividing each prelude and fugue with a caption of Bach 48 Preludes and Fugues, it would have been better for each artist to play the pieces straight through. Also, get rid of Gavrilov's comments. Even better, replace him with a great Bach interpreter like Andras Schiff or Murray Perahia. Both the picture and sound quality were excellent. I liked how the four pianists were in different locations and different settings. That made it more interesting. I recommend this DVD, especially for MacGregor and Hewitt. You won't be disappointed by their playing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent performances of priceless music
Review: I felt the need to offer a counter opinion to the review of this DVD by Mr.Nicholas. As an amatuer pianist, he obviously approached this DVD with certain expectations of what he wanted to experience (perhaps he should have purchased an instructional video instead). He makes no commentary on the splendid performances, wonderful sound, or interesting-to-stunning architectural surroundings the performers are placed in. The commenteries before each performance are entertaining, giving insight into the mind of the player, as well as often providing information on the piece of music about to be played. The commentary sections are no longer than 10-20 seconds in length. If you love Bach's music, you will be thoroughly delighted with this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent performances of priceless music
Review: I felt the need to offer a counter opinion to the review of this DVD by Mr.Nicholas. As an amatuer pianist, he obviously approached this DVD with certain expectations of what he wanted to experience (perhaps he should have purchased an instructional video instead). He makes no commentary on the splendid performances, wonderful sound, or interesting-to-stunning architectural surroundings the performers are placed in. The commenteries before each performance are entertaining, giving insight into the mind of the player, as well as often providing information on the piece of music about to be played. The commentary sections are no longer than 10-20 seconds in length. If you love Bach's music, you will be thoroughly delighted with this collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Did you get your Bach today?
Review: I have listened to Bach's WTC for about 37 years, have studied/played quite a bit of it, and disagree with the previous reviewer almost completely. After coming home and unwrapping the package I spent a very happy 5 hours glued to the tube, and have played parts of it daily. What we have here is the BBC's contribution to the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Bach's death. In a total of 48 separate programs, the 48 preludes and fugues of both books of Bach's WTC were presented. To this end, four different pianists were filmed at four different locations, each playing a quarter of the combined work. While Bach outdid himself in his "Musical Offering" and in the "Art of the Fugue" the WTC does deserve the title of "Old Testament" of Western Music, with Beethoven's 32 Sonatas being the "New Testament". The idea behind the original set of programs was to combine four different approaches to Bach's music with "interesting" imagery. A program of this nature faces the impossible task to stand up to the three Bach programs that Glenn Gould made shortly before the end of his life. Two of these programs, "A choice of instrument" and "An art of the fugue" were carefully scripted medleys of Bach pieces interspersed with meaningful commentary. Each of the 48 parts of this dvd follows the same pattern: a short introduction/comment by the performer, followed by the performance. As such we get titles at the beginning and end of each piece. Let's be simple about it: this is great stuff!
I have got about 10 cd editions of the WTC and 4 printed versions. (I advise the honorable W. E. Nicholas to get the Alfred edition of WTC I, which will keep him- God forbid- from having to watch these discs again.) For me the -admittedly lazy- perspective of these dvds worked very well. The format of spacing the 48 works a little, gives the watcher appropriate breathing space and allows for long-term watching. About the performers. Gavrilov.
Readers of my previous contributions to the Amazon pages may be familiar with my previous bouts of Gavrilov-Bach-bashing, but here I enjoyed him greatly. Choosing the masque of the new Rasputin of the 88 he provides each of his 12 contributions with comments that vary between the idiotic and the sublime. His playing is decidedly romantic. Many of the fugues become a very static antithesis to Gould's dynamic vision of Bach's exploration of the power of tonality. Yet, Andrei repeatedly gets to the very heart of the matter. His sound is exquisite and the camera people did a great job in the beautiful Walsall gallery. MacGregor.
I am a great fan of this pianist and I would chose her any day over Martha Argerich for the predicate best female pianist. I adore her Scarlatti and Bach recordings (French Suites/ Art of the Fugue). Her introductory comments are right on the money. While hampered by the at times sonic limitations of the palace in Barcelona, she plays Bach in her personal style that could be described as a successful blend between Richter and Gould. Some great piano playing here. Probably best A minor prelude on record, stunning b minor fugue. I hope that she will also devote some time to "the Classics" on the Soundcircus label that she started after the demise of Collins. Demidenko.
The WTC II is presented in a different format. The introductions no longer show the performer, neither do they address the individual pairs. In stead we seem to be getting a not too successful adaptation of the "Glenn Gould's sound documentary "The Idea of North"-technique" of contrapunctal commentary. Demidenko's style is rather inconsistent. He reminded me a little of a concert by Pogorelich in 1985, in which he played a second English suite with a Sarabande that sounded like it came from the hand of good old Sergei Rachmaninov. Demidenko's C major prelude, for example, is highly romantic, it's fugue is not. Yet, the piano playing is often at a very high level (d minor prelude) and he clearly knows his stuff. Hewitt.
Angela Hewitt, winner of the sacrilegious Gould Bach competition, is by many considered as the best interpreter of Bach's music. (Count me out.) Her performances here probably represent the best integration of ideas from "authentic" performance in piano lingo. Everything is beautifully balanced and she has the female eye for every detail. Forgive me the blasphemy, but I think that some of the fugues require an itty bitty more of a sales pitch, and sound a little dry coming from these angelic hands. In all I greatly enjoyed this tribute to the man and whole-heartedly recommend this edition to those familiar with the work. The dvds com with an index for each of the 48. Dvd hardware enables the impatient viewer to skip through comments and titles.
Rating: 
Summary: Focus on graphics, not pianists
Review: I'm disappointed by the production. Besides annoying comments before each piece, the camera focus too much on "interior design" or colorful graphics, I do not get much change to see pianist's fingers. It might be better in Audio CD format.
Rating:
Summary: Focus on graphics, not pianists
Review: I'm disappointed by the production. Besides annoying comments before each piece, the camera focus too much on "interior design" or colorful graphics, I do not get much change to see pianist's fingers. It might be better in Audio CD format.
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