"You play it your way, my dear, and I'll play it HIS way..."
Chip Hartranft | Arlington, MA | 02/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...Wanda Landowska reportedly said to a colleague about the keyboard music of J.S. Bach. Purists may argue that her massive Pleyel harpsichord sounded nothing like the instruments of Bach's day, and that her approach was impetuously romantic and subjective. Listen to this set of newly remastered recordings, though, and it will never again be possible to hear these pieces without thinking of Landowska. More than any other pianist or harpsichordist on record, she captured the full range of Bach's energies: majesty, exuberance, desolation, ecstasy, redemption. In contrast to her ecclesiastical comportment and attire, Landowska played with an almost erotic abandon, yet in absolute technical control at all times. Each of the selections reissued by EMI on this disc is a masterpiece recorded by Landowska in her prime. As remarkable as her performances of the 'Goldberg Variations' and the 'Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue' happen to be, the "Italian Concerto' reaches a level of exultation that is almost too much to bear.This is a desert island disc if ever there was one. Don't miss it!"
Wow !!!! ska.
A.K.Farrar | Timisoara, Romania | 02/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just happened to be listening to Glen Gould's first recording (1955) of the Goldberg Variations when the postman delivered this - I put it on and almost fell out of my chair.Talk about different worlds!Here you have a harpsichord (a workhorse of a machine - not `original', but specially constructed for Wanda Landowska - muscular in sound) played with a wonderful sense of the dance rhythms of Bach's time and a marvellous lightness of touch. The wash of romanticism given to the Variations since Ms Landowska's performances is swept away - and when you read the booklet notes and come to realise that this was the first performance on disc of the work, which was once considered unplayable, you cannot but admire and be thankful to the performer.(This is why we now hear so much Bach played in concert!)More modern performances might plunge deeper into the work, but none will replace this.I have fallen instantly in love - and am looking to buy more of Landowska's Bach."
Landowska's highly original Bach interpretation
Stephen Baggaley | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 09/24/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Landowska's performances don't please everyone, especially the so-called "original instrument" purists who despise both her loud, purpose-built harpsichords and her idiosyncratic, highly coloured manner of execution.
For these reasons, their voices would be raised against this recording which includes Bach's "Goldberg" Variations and other major works. Others, including myself, are prepared to lay academic dogmatics aside so we can appreciate what really matters.
For, on the one hand, there is Landowska's enthusiasm for the works she is playing, all exhibited in buoyant rhythms, immaculate finger-accuracy, and decoration of the highest order. On the other, there are the endless possibilities for exploration of her instrument's versatility in her choices of timbre and stop combinations.
Bach, I suspect, was not a man bound by the letter of the law, but one who was prompted by the spirit of things. And so was Landowska, as this recording bears witness.
The quality of these transfers from the original recordings is variable. For example, the "Goldberg" Variations begin with a distinct distortion of pitch, and the same problem occurs elsewhere throughout that recording.
This leads me to ask whether there are better originals than these used by EMI. A comparison with transfers on other labels could be a wise move for any potential purchaser. This may reveal a more satisfactory issue than this one."
Track Listings (37) - Disc #1