Masaaki Suzuki

“Suzuki strikes a perfect accord between an expressively singing solo line and its fastidiously-shaped accompaniment.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2010 ****

“…Suzuki… often a little slower than others, in one case, the B flat prelude, surprisingly so. There's plenty of energy in his playing elsewhere though - the D major prelude is impressive, as is his clean part-playing and rhythmic drive. His articulation and phrasing are intensely moving, not least in the C sharp prelude.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 ****

“More than a decade has lapsed between instalments of Masaaki Suzuki's Well-Tempered Clavier.
However, Book 2 was worth the wait. It lives up to Book 1's high artistic and sonic standards, and possibly surpasses them.
Suzuki's intelligent virtuosity operates on several levels. A vocal sensibility consistently determines how phrases begin, end and follow one another to their ultimate destinations. No matter what the basic tempo may be, breath pauses and agogic adjustments naturally mesh into the flow of Bach's lines, rather than work against them. Textural variety also manifests itself through Masaaki's subtle fingerwork.
One also senses that Suzuki seriously pondered when and how to arpeggiate chords for maximum expressive and structural purpose, as the C sharp major, F minor and F sharp minor Preludes revealingly display. Yet the D major and B minor Fugues prove that Suzuki can deliver straightforward, even brash vitality when he choses.
As before, Suzuki plays an attractive and vibrantly recorded Willem Kroesbergen harpsichord modelled on a period Ruckers instrument, and Yo Tomita provides fascinating, informative booklet-notes. In all, Suzuki's heartfelt synthesis of scholarship and musicality will provide repeated listening pleasure in one of the finest harpsichord recordings of Book 2 available.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…Suzuki's heartfelt synthesis of scholarship and musicality will provide repeated listening pleasure in one of the finest harpsichord recordings of Book 2 available.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2009

“Suzuki is a great Bachian, but his treatment of these pieces seems altogether too awestruck and reflective. It's desperately heavy going at times, with the playing only occasionally sparking into rhythmic life. And the heavy-duty harpsichord he uses, very closely recorded, seems only to emphasise that stodginess.” The Guardian, 27th February 2009 **

“…Suzuki's measured declamation linear clarity, together with tasteful responses to ornament, are among his greatest strengths.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2006 ****