Prelude & Fugue in A flat major - The Prelude is one of Bach's best pieces
of life-affirming music; the tension and urgency in the music contribute
greatly to its stature.  Tureck and Gulda give masterful performances.
Levin isn't quite at that level, but he and his fortepiano supply all the
tension and urgency I could want.  Martins and Jarrett are competitive.
Jarrett gives another of his smooth performances; it's quite effective but
tension is low.  Martins is very slow and makes it work wonderfully; the
problem is a tendency he has for some note banging which is out of place.

The Fugue is also life-affirming but less reflective than the Prelude.
I had a great time listening to Schepkin, my favorite peformance from
the initial survey, and the three entrants who are just as good.  Levin
is fast, but so much better than Gould because his tension and urgency
are deep and surrounding rather than momentary.  Jarrett presents a
kaleidoscope of colors and sound that I find irresistable.  Martins is
quite slow and poetic with strong projection when called for.

Prelude & Fugue in G sharp minor - In any compilation of Rosalyn Tureck's
Greatest Hits, her interpretation of this prelude would surely be included.
It's a perfect example of her unusually slow tempos and superb pacing,
accenting, depth of vision, tenderness, joy, and urgency.  In the initial
survey, Jando had the best version exhibiting speed and power; Martins and
Levin (harpsichord) are also fast and do as well as Jando.  Jarrett is also
very good with a moderate tempo and fine momentum.  But this is Tureck's
prelude all the way.

The G sharp minor Fugue is another of Bach's supreme creations.  For me,
it's about the apocalypse and traces the process through its aftermath.
Schiff and Schepkin deliver great versions of majestic beauty; Tureck adds
that last ounce of apocalyptic vision.  Levin does it just as well; his
harpsichord reading is outstanding and an impressive achievement.  Also,
his sound is much better than Tureck's.  Jarrett is fast and moves forward
admirably with infectious pacing; this is a fine version of its type.
Martins has the basic flavor of the music but is surface bound at the start
and too emotional toward the conclusion.

Prelude & Fugue in A major - Listening to this joyous and understated
prelude was very revealing for me.  Previously, Jando and Tureck were my
standards.  I thought that the piece might be a perfect match for Jarrett,
and indeed, it sounds as if Bach wrote it for Jarrett - very playful,
seamless, good forward momentum, and depth not a major concern.  Then I
listened to Levin's clavichord performance, and it is as good as Jarrett's.
This is just the right music for the clavichord, and Levin and his keyboard
highlight the subtlety and poignancy of the prelude.  As it happens,
Martins gives an excellent account which is simply overshadowed by his
two fellow performers.

My favorite part of the Fugue in A major is the beginning where
three different voices enter in ascending order with "sighing" notes for
company.  Tureck is superb in the opening with a staccato approach which
is deliciously playful; at the same time, she highlights all the poignancy
of the music.  Levin, although he takes a different approach, is just as
rewarding.  He is fast and very urgent; it's a thrilling interpretation.
Martins and Jarrett are quick and hold up well to most other versions.

Prelude & Fugue in A minor - The Prelude is a two-part invention which
is highly chromatic and elicits from me the feeling that the laws of
nature are being turned upside-down.  Schiff provides a great slow version;
Gulda is the best among fast paced performances.  Jarrett is moderately
paced and outstanding; the spirit of his reading exactly corresponds to my
conception.  Martins is very good, but toward the beginning he treats the
music as if it's just a regular day in the life.  Levin is not competitive
as he puts a happy faced element into his interpretation; I think it starts
to sound rather silly after repeated listenings.  Initially, I thought that
Levin's use of the fortepiano would heighten the sense of urgency, but it
didn't happen.

The Fugue in A minor is in three voices and has a virtuoso quality.  I'm
not particularly taken with the music or the any of the versions originally
reviewed.  Jarrett is an exception.  He dumps his usually seamless ways and
delivers a taut and sharp peformance which almost makes me love this fugue.
Martins and Levin are fine and hold up well to most other versions.

Prelude & Fugue in B flat major - If you're hungry for some gorgeous and
absolutely uplifting/joyous music, you need look no further.  I found a
few versions outstanding in my original survey, and Jarrett and Levin join
that group.  Jarrett's pacing is perfect, and his seamless approach is
irresistable.  Levin, on harpsichord, is very fast and angular.  His is
the most exciting interpretation I know, and he doesn't scrimp on the joy
either.  Martins is something else - when he's not behaving manic, he gives
a great performance with an ultra slow tempo.  But, and I do emphasize
*but*, he has times when he's banging away and distorting the music
big-time.  He sounds so ridiculous that I start laughing.  Overall,
Martin's version is a worthy one, but once again, he finds a way to
overcome his basic strengths and screw up what would have been a superb
interpretation.

The Fugue continues the good feelings with another lovely piece.  Again,
Jarrett and Levin are fully the equal of other inspired versions such
as Tureck and Schepkin.  Levin is less angular than in the Prelude, and
it pays handsomely.  Jarrett is totally in his element with this fugue.
Martins finds another way to insure he doesn't have one of the best
interpretations; this time it's his use of staccato at the wrong times
which disrupts the flow of the music and the degree of musicality.

Prelude & Fugue in B flat minor - The Prelude is one of elegance and grave
beauty.  Nikolayeva and Hewitt have been my preferred versions, but Martins
is at least their equal.  Using a slow tempo and doing nothing to sabotage
his performance, he digs deeply into the work with an exquisite beauty and
serenity.  Both Jarrett and Levin (on organ) do well, although they tend to
be surface-bound.

The B flat minor Fugue is monumental music which I think of as one of
Bach's greatest pieces of music where he elicts from me the sense that
the world's falling apart in terms of what we know it to be.  In Part 6
I wrote, "None of the versions delivers everything wanted, but Fischer,
Nikolayeva, and Jando get closer than the others".  Robert Levin does
deliver everything; it's as if the bowels of Hell are exploding.  Levin is
fast, constantly urgent, very loud, and entirely apocalyptic.  Where's the
tenderness, poetry, and beauty? These and more are in his interpretation,
and you don't have to look for them; they just mix splendidly with the
doom.  This is a revelatory version, and the organ is a perfect match for
Levin's conception.

I've got to give this man extra points and revise the Satz Rating Model.
Jarrrett, although excellent with fine storm and poetry, can't compete with
Levin.  Martins has trouble with the turbulence of the music, although he
is superb in the gentler passages.  Do listen to Levin; it will make your
day.

Prelude & Fugue in B major - This Prelude is deceptive in its degree of
power, speed, and poetry, but just turn up the volume and wonderful things
happen.  Tureck is revelatory in this music.  Levin and Jarrett are not,
but both deliver exciting performances; Levin uses his single-manual
harpsichord.  Martins is not so fortunate; he ridiculously extends bass
notes and actually slows down at the end.  One of the joys of the Prelude
is its totally abrupt ending; that's when I say "wow".  There's no wow to
Martins at all.

The B major Fugue has a high quotient of nobility and stature, and Tureck
gives a slow performance which is a model to emulate.  Martins gives it
a try, but he can't approach Tureck's nobility.  Levin is good, but his
strong angularity is a little off course for this music which fits
Jarrett's preferences very well.

Prelude & Fugue in B minor - Syncopation and suspension are the technical
highlights of the Prelude; the emotional highlights center around a
delicious mix of lyricism/tnederness contrasted with danger and tension.
Tureck has been my standard, and Martins matches her with an even slower
performance which really catches all the poetry in the music.  Jarrett
(smooth) and Levin (angular) do well but nothing special.

Book II concludes with the Fugue in B minor which has a combination of
dark and light themes.  Nikolayeva is my favorite version and remains so.
Jarrett and Levin, as in the Prelude, perform well but not distinctively.
Martins is not acceptable; he exhibits many mannerisms and sounds to me
very muddled.

Summary:

Levin's set on Hanssler is a fine achievement, and I consider it an
essential purchase.  I don't deny that some of my enthusiasm is based on
the variety of instrumentation.  That along with a high level of variety
of interpretation by Levin makes the performances surprising and fresh.
Levin's B flat minor Fugue alone is worth the price of the set.

Jarrett's version on ECM is very good and well worth considering.  He's
a known quantity by now and his WTC II continues his preferred style.
This set should be avoided by those who want angular and relatively deep
interpretations.

Martins is not recommended.  Although he improved substantially after
the first few preludes and fugues, he still has no particular niche among
the competition.  His strength is taking it slow and deeply; however, he
doesn't do that very well much of the time.  I feel that he sabotages those
potentially great performances with a varied number of negative decisions.
If you want slow and deep, look no further than Tureck; her set is much
better than the Martin offering.

Don Satz
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