Alfred Brendel Unfortunately Recorded Very Little Bach and It's a Shame Since as Evinced Here He Clearly Has an Affinity for this Repertoire. His Exceptional Contrapuntal Clarity and Imaginative Use of Embellishment in the... more » Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue for Instance is Remarkably Well Considered If Not Unique. His Performance of Busoni's Transcription of Nun Komm, Der Heiden Heiland as Well is Equally Stunning, Reminiscent of the Efforts of Another of the Great Bach Pianists of his Generation Wilhelm Kempff. Unlike Most of Brendel's Philips Recordings as Well, this One Sounds Seamless Instead Edited to Death. Those Looking for a Distinguished Alternative to Glenn Gould Are Strongly Encouraged to Give Brendel Here a Listen.« less
Alfred Brendel Unfortunately Recorded Very Little Bach and It's a Shame Since as Evinced Here He Clearly Has an Affinity for this Repertoire. His Exceptional Contrapuntal Clarity and Imaginative Use of Embellishment in the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue for Instance is Remarkably Well Considered If Not Unique. His Performance of Busoni's Transcription of Nun Komm, Der Heiden Heiland as Well is Equally Stunning, Reminiscent of the Efforts of Another of the Great Bach Pianists of his Generation Wilhelm Kempff. Unlike Most of Brendel's Philips Recordings as Well, this One Sounds Seamless Instead Edited to Death. Those Looking for a Distinguished Alternative to Glenn Gould Are Strongly Encouraged to Give Brendel Here a Listen.
"Brendel is an incredible pianist, and a scholar of music as much as a virtuouso. This is a beautifully played and beautifully CHOSEN collection of music. In an interview included in the notes, Brendel points out that many of Bach's works seem to be written for instruments of the future: some pieces like the Chromatic Fantasy seem to be failures as written for the harpsichord but are wonderful played on the piano.I don't miss whatever authenticity might be lost, then, by playing these on the piano. I loved how simple it was to hear the different strands of melody that wind their way around each other in the first movement of the Italian Concerto, and to hear how clearly Brendel articulated the rushing melody of the Prelude in A Minor. He's amazing: I started with his recordings of Schubert but am starting to prefer his versions of Beethoven and Bach as well.Even his choices of what to play are revelatory. The Busoni arrangement of Ich 'ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ is astounding. It was only after I ran out, got a book of the Busoni arrangements and tried to play the prelude myself that I realized how hard it was to play this (technically) fairly simple piece as beautifully and delicately as Brendel plays it. Anyone who thinks that Bach is a dry, academic composer - or who wrote music that is coldly beautiful but not heartfelt - needs to hear these three minutes of music to know how much love went into everything he wrote."
Brendal plays Bach...brilliantly
Gulley Jimson | 06/15/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although many purists may have their doubts about the suitability of playing Bach's keyboard works on the modern piano, in this instance there is no question of the success of the performance. It's stunning. It is definitely 'Brendal' playing Bach as he makes sure that each piece is defined by his own personal combination of great virtuosity and profound interpretation. The intensely powerful rendering of the 'Chromatic Fanatasia' is worth the price of the disc alone and the other fantasias are similarly astounding. For the interaction of sheer concentration of thought with deep-felt feeling this is a disc which fan of Bach or Brendal should be without. Classics of the keyboard repertoire played by one of the greatest pianists of the century..go and buy."
Top-Notch
Rich | United Kingdom | 08/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of my favourite recordings of anything, here Brendel rejects all attempts at historically informed authenticity and gives full rein to the possibilities of playing Bach on a modern concert grand piano. The results are utterly musical and as 'right' in their own way as performances of Bach on the harpischord. But there is no 'right or wrong' when great music is made to resound with such conviction and truthfulness as Brendel achieves on this disc. The opening fantasia of the 'Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue' storms and surges with a truly elemental power as does the wonderful A minor Prelude.
I really cannot recommened this CD highly enough (and the sound is wonderful too)"
The Bach you may have been looking for but didn't know exist
Larkenfield | 04/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gee, what an amazing concept: Bach being played expressively as music instead of as a finger exercise. Try to find a good Bach keyboard recording that is naturally expressive. If all the Bach keyboardists in the world were lined up in a row, I would bet my life-savings that Brendel would come out on top. Why this man doesn't play more Bach is a shame. He sounds like a genius at it and I must say that I've heard more musicality in Brendel's Bach than from the G guy, Roselyn Tureck, and many others. It's a funny thing... Bach is considered one of the world's greatest composers but trying to find a performance that actually sounds like music instead of a machine is one of the hardest feats in the world! In any event, I've never heard Bach played like Brendel, and it's a beautiful revelation. Every glowing remark the other reviewers have made is absolutely true. Treat yourself... you'll feel like a million dollars from the incredible musicianship and depth of this UNIQUE but completely natural performance. The Italian Concerto sparkles and Nun Komm, Der Heiden Heiland is scrumptious. Bach deserves this kind of elastic musicianship and yet I've never heard anyone pull it off quite like Brendel does here. Marvelous."
Exceptional Early Bach Recording from Alfred Brendel
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 07/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Reissued recently as one of The Originals: Legendary Recordings from the Philips Classics Catalog, Alfred Brendel's mid 1970s recording of J. S. Bach's Italian Concerto (BWV 971), Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue (BWV 903), and several other keyboard works, including two Busoni transcriptions of preludes composed originally for the organ, merely demonstrate Brendel's keen interest in musicology and performance. In an interview conducted by Terry Snow published in the liner notes, the reader comes away realizing that Brendel is not only less impressed with renewed interest in "period instrument performance", but believes passionately that Bach's keyboard works can be performed successfully on the modern piano, simply because of its greater sonic dynamical range than, for example, the harpsichord. In his playing of the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue as well as the Busoni transcriptions of the two choral preludes (BWV 639, BWV 659), Brendel may remind listeners of an organ performance in emphasizing not only the dynamic range, but also, richness, of the sound emanating from his piano. While Brendel does note in the liner notes that he doesn't really care for emphasizing a more faithful adherence to these scores at the expense of artistic expressiveness, these performances are all noted for his usual, almost trademark, cerebral quality of his playing. Without question this is indeed a fascinating CD that has been blessed with the latest, state-of-the-art 24 bit digital remastering for optimal sound quality; one which I recommend highly not only to fans of Alfred Brendel but also those of J. S. Bach.