Search - Bach, Schnabel, Lso :: Bach: Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue, etc / Schnabel, Boult, et al

A solid connection to the past

Steven J. Bissell | Denver, CO USA | 07/27/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although Schnabel was probably best known in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s as an interpreter of Beethoven, his recordings of Bach were probably more radical. This CD is an issue of recordings made in the mid-1930s and Schnabel's last recording before his death in 1951. The playing on this CD rivals the "modern" recordings of Bach by Glenn Gould and Keith Jarret.Some musicologists have suggested that some of these works, such as Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor were written by Bach as "theoritical" pieces only, not intented to actually be played. At the time when Bach wrote them there was probably no single instrument capable of matching the difficulty of Bach's composition. However, the modern piano is fully capable of meeting the demands of Bach, especially under the hands of a master such as Schnabel. This CD also contains the only, to my knowledge, recording of Artur Schnabel with his son, Ulich, with whom he traveled and preformed in the 1930s. I highly recommend this CD for anyone who appreciates the complex music of Bach.By the way, the reason I gave this only 4 stars is because the quality of the CD is a bit lacking. A surprise for me since this came from EMI Classics. It isn't really a problem and you shouldn't let it put you off."