It's taken me a long time to get around to reviewing Gustav Leonhardt's
recording of Bach's Inventions & Sinfonias BWV 772-801, but the day has
now arrived.  The disc is on Sony SBK 61869 and was recorded in 1974 in
Amsterdam.

For comparison purposes, I'm using Suzuki on BIS, Laberge on Analekta,
and Koopman on Capriccio.  Just to summarize my previous conclusions about
these three performances, I found Suzuki's a wonderful recording, Laberge
was very good with fantastic sound, and Koopman and his sound were not as
rewarding as the other two versions.

Leonhardt's recorded sound, although from the 1970's is just fine: crisp,
clear, and quite up-front.  It's not the type of sound that's inducive for
subtlety, but Leonhardt should easily be able to overcome that little
problem.

C major/minor Inventions - Leonhardt's very good in both pieces.  His
optimism is strong in the C major, and he's appropriately sad and incisive
in the C minor.  The only performance from the comparison versions that's
superior to Leonhardt's is the C minor from Suzuki, and it would be very
difficult to match Suzuki on this one.

D major/minor Inventions - Much more animated than the previous inventions,
Leonhardt rises to the occasion splendidly.  He is highly playful in the D
major and full of joy in the D minor.  Leonhardt's accenting is excellent,
and he's very incisive.  Koopman is exceptional in both pieces, and I'd
place Leonhardt at that level also.

E flat major Invention - Happy and infectious music, I prefer it performed
quickly at a little over a minute in length.  The comparison versions are
each too slow for my liking, and Leonhardt extends the music up to the two
minute range.  Although on piano, Gould easily surpasses Leonhardt with a
thrilling rendition.

E major/minor Inventions - This is an excellent series for Leonhardt.
Although I still prefer Laberge in the E major and Suzuki in the E minor,
Leonhardt is close to those two superb readings.  He well brings out the
comfort and up/down quality of the E major; nostalgia and sadness are
prevalent in the E minor.

F major/minor Inventions - The F major is exciting and playful music
which Leonhardt captures better than the comparison versions; it may be
on the slow side, but Leonhardt still maximizes the thrill.  The F major
is sad and even morose; bad things are going on and they are beating down
humanity's door.  Leonhardt is excellent here as well, again better than
the compared versions.

G major/minor Inventions - Another fine series for Leonhardt.  I prefer
Suzuki in these two pieces, but Leonhardt is a close second.  He brings
much joy to the G major, and his G minor is fully vested with foreboding
contrasted with rays of light.

A major/minor Inventions - The A minor is upbeat; Leonhardt probably does
it as well as any other version I've heard.  However, he's very quick in
the A minor with reduced nostalgia and reflection.  Suzuki remains my
favorite harpsichord version for the A minor as he really gets to the
music's core.

B flat major/B minor Inventions - Suzuki sets a high standard here and
Leonhardt is up to the task.  His B flat major takes the tender approach
and fully delivers; Suzuki presents a very exuberant peformance.  Both
are excellent.  In the B minor, Leonhardt fully displays the lurking and
menacing beginning, and his rhythm is irresistable.  Again, Leonhardt is
as fine as Suzuki.

That's it for the Two-Part Inventions, and Leonhardt is very impressive.
He tends toward slower than average tempos, and that's a common trait
of Leonhardt's.  He is also highly incisive and angular which are also
Leonhardt traits.  Although I feel that Leonhardt's true forte is in a work
such as the Art of Fugue where he can work his magic on extended structures
and give them complete inevitability, he is mighty fine in the Inventions.
There are no revelations, but Leonhardt gives sturdy and fully idiomatic
readings fully equal to Suzuki's.  Only in the E flat major and A minor
Inventions did Leonhardt stray from excellence, and other listeners might
well appreciate the tempos he uses more than I did.

C major/minor Sinfonias - This is not an impressive series for Leonhardt.
His C major is fine but a little "edgy"; I prefer a smoother delivery such
as the one from Laberge.  In the C minor, Leonhardt is surprisingly on the
quick side at well under two minutes; the depths he plumbs are slight
compared to Suzuki who extends the music to 2 1/2 minutes.  Both Leonhardt
performances are competitive, but they don't stand up to the best.

D major/minor Sinfonias - The D major is joyous music which Leonhardt well
conveys in a sharp manner.  Although slower than the three comparisons,
nothing is lost or diminished.  Leonhardt adopts a relatively quick tempo
in the D minor; although enjoyable, I prefer slower readings like Suzuki's
where I can luxuriate in the music.

E flat major Sinfonia - Leonhardt, like Suzuki, is very slow.  Leonhardt's
greater angularity pays dividends here as he brings out fully the pathos of
the Sinfonia.  Laberge's issue is quicker and one of the best; Leonhardt's
is in that class.

E major/minor Sinfonias - The E major is "feel-good" music which sways
around inside one's bloodstream.  Laberge gives the best performance I've
heard, and Leonhardt now joins him.  Using less legato than Laberge,
Leonhardt displays a great rhythm and joy of life.  The E minor starts off
softly and with sadness; as the piece progresses, it becomes more intense
and brooding.  Leonhardt excellently conveys these feelings, although I do
prefer the smoother approach of Laberge.

F major/minor Sinfonias - There's quite a contrast between the F major
and F minor Sinfonias; the F major is so joyous, and the F minor is
relentlessly bleak.  Leonhardt provides this contrast as strongly as
in any other performances.

G major/minor Sinfonias - The G major is as joyous as the F major, and
Leonhardt gives one of the best performances I've heard.  The G minor
is exquisitely sad; Suzuki's very slow reading is a work of gorgeous
perfection.  Leonhardt is also quite slow and the performance is just a
tad less gorgeous than Suzuki's; that owes solely to Suzuki's wonderfully
recorded sound.

A major/minor Sinfonias - In the happy A major, every note from Leonhardt
rings out with joy; it's A major performance I thought I'd never hear.
Matters aren't quite so good with the A minor.  Leonhardt is rather quick
in this bitter/sweet piece; I think the music is better served by Suzuki's
much slower and expressive reading.  However, taken on its own terms,
Leonhardt does give an exciting peformance.

B flat major/B minor Sinfonias - Both pieces are life-affirming,
although the B minor begins with layers of clouds which are systematically
eliminated to display the light of wisdom.  As usual, Leonhardt is right on
target with a deliciously slow B flat major exuding life's rewards and a B
minor which possesses great pacing and depth.

I haven't been keeping score, but I'm sure that Leonhardt at least matches
the high quality of the Suzuki recording.  Two or three times, Leonhardt
uses a faster than average tempo to no advantage; those performances are
still very enjoyable.  Other than that, I'm listening to some wonderful
readings.  I consider the disc essential for any Bach enthusiast not
allergic to the harpsichord, and it would make a very fine first version.
The only possible reservation I could hold is that the recorded sound is
sharp; add in Leonhardt's sharpness, and the result might be a little
grating for some folks.  I think the sound is excellent for the time
period, but it's not at the level of the Suzuki or Laberge discs.

Don's Conclusion: The Leonhardt recording is one the best available, and
its price is at bargain level.  There's every reason to snap it up and
enjoy.  If my comments about sharpness cause any concern, it's probably
best to sample a few tracks.

Don Satz
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