You can call me Johann. But don't expect me to answer to that.
If you’re expecting me to get through today’s listening without mentioning Glenn Gould, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. For today’s Brilliant Classics CD (performed by Pieter-Jan Belder on Flemish harpsichord) is none other than the famous Goldberg Variations, which was Glenn Gould’s first album, recorded in 1955 for Columbia Records. But that’s another story. […]
Entries Tagged as 'Bach at 56'
Day Thirty Four: Goldberg Variations (CD 2-11)
August 30th, 2011 · No Comments · 1741, Bach at 56, BWV 988, Flemish harpsichord, Glenn Gould, Goldberg Variations, Harpsichord, Period Instruments, Pieter-Jan Belder
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Day Fifteen: Flute Sonatas (CD 1-15)
August 11th, 2011 · No Comments · 1717, 1718, 1735, 1741, Bach at 32, Bach at 33, Bach at 56, BWV 1013, BWV 1033, BWV 1034, BWV 1035, Flute, Flute Sonatas, Harpsichord, Jordi Savall, Stephen Preston, Trevor Pinnock, Viola
Now this is music I can dig! Today’s CD — Flute Sonatas, part two — adds a third instrument to the mix, and that (to borrow from Robert Frost) has made all the difference. Flute and harpsichord, alone (which is what yesterday’s CD offered), was like Red Bull with a shot of bourbon in it. […]
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Day Nine: Double Concertos (CD 1-9)
August 5th, 2011 · No Comments · Adagio, Allegro, Allegro ma non tanto, Bach at 32, Bach at 50, Bach at 56, Back at 45, BWV 1043, BWV 1044, BWV 1055, BWV 1060, CD 1-9, Chamber Music, Double Concertos, Oboe, Oboe d'amore, Pizzicato, Violins
This CD, which contains Bach’s Double Concertos, features all of my favorite instruments (flute, violin, strings, and even harpsichord — played as a mood-setting accent) performing music that is truly remarkable. Not for its intricate or even frenzied contrapuntal complexities, but for its, well, pleasing-to-the-ear qualities. Bach’s Double Concertos (concertos for two solo instruments) are […]
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Day Six: Harpsichord Concertos (CD 1-6)
August 2nd, 2011 · No Comments · 1738, 1740, 1741, 1742, Bach at 53, Bach at 55, Bach at 56, BWV 1052, BWV 1053, BWV 1054, BWV 1055, CD 1-6, Harpsichord Concertos, Squire of Gothos, Star Trek
The harpsichord is an instantly recognizable instrument. Nothing on the planet sounds like one. And very few instruments are as quickly identified with their era as a harpsichord. But therein lies both its strength and weakness. Like the fuzz-guitar tone from the 1960s, a harpsichord cannot transcend its own era, which is the Renaissance and […]
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