Bach, J S: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 (Das Wohltemperiertes Klavier, BWV870-893)

“Egarr explores the poetic content of the music with unhurried tempos, generous punctuation and eloquently shaped phrasing...[his] rhythmic elasticity heightens Bach's conversational dimension, welcoming us to the dialogue.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2010 ****

“The C sharp minor Fugue's rounded-off phrases and breath pauses...convey a convincing, vocally-informed continuity, while sensitive accentuations and an uncommonly brisk basic tempo keep you guessing just where the barlines fall in the G sharp minor Fugue.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2010

'A delight to both ear and mind. I have nothing but enthusiasm for Angela Hewitt's musicianly and imaginative performances' (Gramophone)

“Admirers of Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt's lightly articulated and elegantly phrased Bach playing won't be disappointed by this recording.
These qualities characterise the playing of each and every one of these profoundly didactic yet sublimely poetic pieces. Her restrained use of the sustaining pedal, her consequently clearly spoken articulation, and the resultant lucidity of musical thought, bring to mind the recorded performances of Edwin Fischer. Hewitt certainly sounds more comfortable in a studio than Fischer ever did, and her technique is more consistently disciplined than his was under these circumstances. Her reflective view of the more inward-looking fugues, such as the lyrical one in E flat minor, is most attractive. Taut, but with a suppleness that's entirely devoid of stiffness, this is indeed cogent and gracefully beautiful playing of a high order. You may sense, from time to time, an overtly intense element of subjective thought in her understanding of the music, a quality which seems to be endorsed by occasional references in her lively, illuminating and detailed introduction, to Bach's 'sense of inner peace', and so on. However, to conclude on a thoroughly positive and enthusiastic note, these are performances of Book 1 that you'll want to hear many times over. The recording and instrument sound well, too.
Hewitt's Book 2 is a delight to both ear and mind. Everything is in the best taste and free of exhibitionism. There are subtle tonal nuances, natural rises and falls of dynamics, well-defined differentiation of contrapuntal lines and appreciation of the expressive implications of Bach's chromaticisms. Throughout her playing of these preludes and fugues – several longer, more mature and more demanding than those of Book 1 – there's a sense of unhurried poise, with flowing rhythm. The air of tranquillity is underlined by her frequent adoption of very quiet openings, many of which then take on a warmer tone towards the end – even the E major Fugue, which Landowska labelled 'combative', is handled quietly, yet she's able to sound contemplative (as in the E major Fugue) without lapsing into Tureckian reverentiality.
Just occasionally Bach's more intense movements tempt her into emotional rubatos which, though musically affecting, take Bach out of his century, and not everyone will care for the big allargandos she makes at the ends of some of the earlier movements. Otherwise these are musicianly and imaginative performances.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Every performance here is quite audibly the product of careful consideration; every musical decision, whether over tempi, phrasing, or dynamics, seems utterly logical. Yet there's nothing didactic about the results, just a wonderfully natural unfolding of these pieces, in which Hill is never ashamed to make full use of the tonal resources of the modern piano. The crystalline quality of his quiet playing is a regular pleasure.” The Guardian, 12th January 2012 ****

“Too often pigeonholed as a 'Messiaen-pianist'...Hill here shows a natural and direct response to Bach's invention that makes a refreshing alternative to some of his starrier, flashier rivals on disc.” Classical Music, 24th March 2012

“Hill's technique is impressive, but he eschews flamboyant showmanship, bringing instead humility, poise and gravitas to these accounts. Tempos are thoughtfully judged and tend to underscore the reflective, meditative qualities that underlie many of Bach's later works.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2012 *****

“Mentioning all the high spots would require too many words. Hill’s lyrical way with the preludes is a consistent joy, and the gentle, unobtrusive control of tempo makes some of them sound like baroque improvisations. He can play with delicacy and humility.” The Arts Desk, 5th May 2012

“Hill is unfailingly musicianly in his approach, his playing full of the kind of insights that can only come from long acquaintance with the music. He lets Bach speak for himself - this is entirely unegotistical playing - the opposite end of the specturm from Gould's highly interventionist approach....What I miss in Hill's recording is an audible relish for the instrument itself.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012

“Hill’s playing certainly never wallows, though you have to accept the broad view he takes and not let yourself become anxious and frustrated. As each work unfolds, the logic of Hill’s choices becomes apparent, and the joy is in re-discovering the pieces in a frequently new sounding framework of reflection and open ended duration.” MusicWeb International, June 2012

“…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 **

“At its best, Crossland's Bach is intimately scaled and sensitively nuanced, abetted by engineering that reproduces her dulcet sonority in the loveliest light.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2008