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BACH: Inventions & Sinfonias; Partita 2; French Suite 6; Small Preludes, Fughettas, & Fugues

Andrea Bacchetti, p

Dynamic 629 [2CD] 151 minutes

I guess that it is appropriate a pianist named Bacchetti would be a Bach specialist. I have commented favorably in the past on his Goldberg Variations (Art Haus 101 447, Mar/Apr 2008) and his English Suites (Decca 476 3127, Jan/Feb 2009). All of the Inventions and Sinfonias are here, but only one French Suite and one Partita.
There are 20 Little Preludes, S 924-943, and Bacchetti gives us 18 of them, along with a Prelude originally written for lute (in C minor, S 999).

He finishes with a group composed of a Fughetta, two Fugues, three paired Preludes and Fughettas, and a single Prelude and Fugue. All fascinating stuff, impeccably recorded and a most enjoyable release. Musicality, phrasing and clarity of voices characterize his Inventions and Sinfonias. I prefer quicker tempos and a more vigorous approach to these little gems. In recent memory, Till Fellner (ECM 12789, July/Aug 2009) seemed just about perfect in this respect.

Nevertheless, Bacchetti is a pianist I greatly respect, and his slower tempos and softer edges are a welcome change. His performance of the last French Suite follows suit and works perfectly. The dramatic Partita 2 in C minor shows us another side of Bacchetti-demonstrative, with a large dynamic range, and not shying away from the virtuosic elements in the work (a favorite of Argerich among others).

The Little Preludes and Fugues performed here are, with one exception, the complete contents of my Universal Edition score, and quite welcome in that respect alone. These were not grouped by Bach himself, but by copyists and later editors of the Bach Complete Edition. The origins include Bach’s Klavierbüchlein for his son, Wilhelm Friedemann, and Johann Kellner’s (1705-72) large collection of 57 works. These range in length from 36 seconds to more than six minutes, and there is a wealth of good Bach here that is generally quite accessible to the average pianist. Making the kind of music that Bacchetti does might not be expected of the average pianist, but is glorious for those of us fortunate enough to have this recording.

HARRINGTON

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE  -  September-October 2009