I naively thought that the survey of Bach’s
Orchestral Music which I posted less than a month ago had
settled, in my own mind at least, the most recommendable version
of Bach’s Keyboard Concertos. Then along came what I imagine is
the first instalment of a new series of recordings which throws
the question open again.
Let me begin with a recap of the situation as it
was. Those who have already read my survey can omit the next
few paragraphs and cut to the chase.
Ton Koopman offers BWV1052-3 and 1056-7 on mid-price
Warner Elatus (2564603292 – also available as a download from
Warner Digital) and BWV10602 and 1065 on another Elatus CD (2564617752). These and the Richard
Egarr/Academy of Ancient Music/Andrew
Manze set of the solo harpsichord
concertos plus the Triple Concerto, BWV1044 (HMU90728384 – also
available as 24 tracks from emusic.com) are well worth considering.
My strongest recommendation for these works, however, must rest
with the Chandos recordings made by Robert Woolley, with assistance
from Paul Nicholson and others in the multiple concertos, and
the Purcell Quartet. This runs to four discs as opposed to three
for most similar collections, but you get the Fifth Brandenburg
thrown in on the first disc – a harpsichord concerto in all but
name, especially as it is performed here – and the performances
are superb. I am amazed that music-making of this quality appears
to have been deleted on CD and all the more grateful, therefore,
that Chandos have made them available as downloads: all are on
offer from theclassicalshop.net in mp3 format (£6) and some of
the volumes also in lossless format (£10) – CHAN0595, CHAN0611,
CHAN0636 and CHAN0641. It’s no exaggeration that these performances
bowled me over completely, with the players ‘nudging’ and ‘leaning
on’ the music very subtly and totally delectably. The booklets
of notes for this series, with Brueghel illustrations on the covers,
are a delight. None of the other downloads which I have mentioned
come with such fine notes – in most case, none at all.
The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock set on mid-price
DG Archiv Trio (4717542 – also available as a download from Universal),
hitherto my staple for these works and the Koopman recordings
to which I have referred, are now replaced in my affections by
these Chandos recordings. Even if you think downloading too much
of a nuisance – it can be like watching paint dry – their unavailability
on CD makes it worthwhile to make the effort to acquire them.
Piano fanciers should note that I have included
only harpsichord versions in this list, though I might make
an exception for Angela Hewitt’s Hyperion versions (CDA67307
and 67308, with prefix SACDA for SACD versions, or a 2-CD
set CDA67607-8, also available from iTunes.)
Now along comes this new Decca CD to complicate
the issue. I’m please to see it sporting the Oiseau Lyre
logo: Decca never seem able to decide whether to integrate
all their recordings under one overall banner or to keep Oiseau
Lyre/Florilegium separate; I’m all for diversity, even though
we all know that Decca themselves have long been part of the
Universal empire. What about the Argo label?
First, let me clear away two possible misconceptions.
Despite its being housed in the round-cornered type of case associated
with SACD, this is a common or garden CD: Universal Classics seem
increasingly to be employing these cases for their premium CD
issues, as with their recent recording of Chant: Music for
Paradise (UCJ1766016).
These cases do seem to be rather more robust than the traditional
type, though I have known them disintegrate in the post. Secondly,
despite the claims on the sticker affixed to the front of the
case, these one-to-a-part performances are not unique: the Chandos
recordings to which I have referred broke that particular barrier
some time ago.
I had been very impressed by Ottavio Dantone’s
recording of Vivaldi’s Op.8 concertos on two Arts SACDs (47564
and 47565 – see review);
not quite my desert-island choice, but very close to it. Knowing
that KM was also very impressed by Dantone’s Bach (Well-Tempered
Klavier, Arts 476542 and 476572 – see review)
I had high expectations of this new recording which, in the end,
were not quite met, though I enjoyed hearing it, especially before
I got my critical measuring-stick out.
I was rather expecting some breakneck tempi, but
the opening movement of BWV1053, though nimble-fingered, is
taken at a fairly sedate pace, 8:42 against 8:07 on Volume 2 of the Chandos
recording (CHAN0611). Nor does Dantone ‘lean’ on the phrasing
as much as the Chandos performers; you could never be in danger
of mistaking his performance for the old school, Münchinger
et al, but he is undoubtedly plainer than Woolley here.
If Dantone’s Vivaldi is for those who like to live a little
dangerously, it is Woolley who more closely fits that description
here. Much as I normally dislike performers who pull the tempo
around – Nigel Kennedy’s first version of The Four Seasons
and some of Ton Koopman’s more extreme affectivity in Buxtehude,
for example – the Chandos recordings really work for me.
Surely Dantone’s 5:28 for the Siciliano second movement is too
slow: he really does sound Münchinger-like here, especially
measured against Woolley’s 4:37. In fact, Dantone is consistently
slower in second movements, as the table below indicates.
I don’t want to imply that he ever sounds stodgy, but he comes
closer than I could wish: his slow movements are too slow
for my liking, except in BWV1056.
All is well, however, in the Allegro Finale,
where his tempo and pace - not always quite the same thing
- are very similar to Woolley’s and honours are about even.
As the table below indicates, his times for all outer movements,
apart from BWV1053, are very similar to or even a little faster
than Woolley’s. There is little to choose between them, except
that I found some of Dantone’s ritardandi (e.g. in
BWV1055/iii), a little more obtrusive than anything that Woolley
does.
All in all I was a little disappointed by the new
recording. Anyone looking for a recommendable single CD of four
of the solo concertos is unlikely to be seriously disappointed,
but I didn’t find here the daring that I found in Dantone’s Vivaldi.
Only occasionally did I feel totally satisfied with these concerto
performances. The outer movements of BWV1052 are examples of where
everything does seem to fall into place. Woolley sounds slightly
stodgy by comparison. Pinnock’s times for these two movements
match Dantone’s, almost to the second, but neither he nor Woolley
allows the second movement to drag.
|
Dantone:
|
|
Woolley:
|
|
|
BWV1055
|
|
CHAN0636
|
|
|
I
|
4:06
|
|
4:17
|
|
II
|
4:57
|
|
4:28
|
|
III
|
4:15
|
|
4:16
|
|
BWV1056
|
|
CHAN0595
|
|
|
I
|
3:08
|
|
3:12
|
|
II
|
2:40
|
|
2:35
|
|
III
|
3:33
|
|
3:42
|
|
BWV1052
|
|
CHAN0641
|
|
|
I
|
7:23
|
|
7:26
|
|
II
|
6:48
|
|
5:54
|
|
III
|
7:47
|
|
8:06
|
Unfortunately, if you want to mix and match Dantone
and Woolley recordings of this music, the concertos on the
new Decca recording are spread across all four volumes of
the Chandos – and purchasing individual concertos from theclassicalshop,
instead of whole CDs, works out more expensive.
Though both recordings are one-to-a-part, the Decca
sound is rather ‘larger’ than the Chandos and the effect of
the small forces, therefore, somewhat diminished. My overall
recommendation, therefore, remains unchanged. Unless you have
a serious aversion to downloading, the Woolley/Purcell Quartet
versions are the ones to go for.
Both sets of notes are very good, but I far prefer
the Brueghel paintings on the Chandos covers. There are enough
photographs of a pensive-looking Ottavio Dantone inside the
booklet and on the rear insert, without needing another on
the front cover, or a close-up of his fingers behind the transparent
tray.
If you don’t want to download the Chandos, you
could still do much worse than the Pinnock set – 3 CDs for not
much more than the one Decca.
Brian
Wilson
Accademia Bizantina/Ottavio Dantone (harpsichord)
