Prelude in F sharp major - This is a very comforting and delicate two-part
invention which goes through four other keys before returning to F sharp
major.  It also has an irresistable up-down quality which is based on
syncopation/suspension and enhanced through strong accenting.  I don't
think that 'choppy' is the way to go, but Roberts certainly does; to me,
it damages the flow and comfort.  Tureck is slower and more fluid than
Roberts; unfortunately, her accenting is rather subdued as is the up-down
flow.  Horszowski isn't exactly of delicate nature, but he has the music's
flow and emotional content well within his grasp with a performance that
beats Tureck.  Jando has all elements in order except for a low quotient
of comfort and delicacy; the performance is somewhat generic.  Schepkin
displays much delicacy and a fine flow, but his quick pace sounds rushed.
The same applies to Jarrett.  Schiff's performance is a fine one at
Horszowski's level.

Other less than great issues come from Fischer, Gulda, Richter, Leonhardt,
and Tilney.  Fischer's flow could make a person sea-sick; the very fast
tempo just adds to the problem.  I definitely don't enjoy his syncopation.
Gulda's relatively slow performance could have been exceptional, but
there's a calculated element to it which holds it down.  Richter starts off
flying through the prelude but does slow down later on; I don't appreciate
the fast start.  Leonhardt is not delicate at all; he seems to power his
way through the prelude.  It is attractive, but ultimately not at the
highest level.  For a wonderfully tender and delicate reading, check out
Suzuki.  The clavichord can be a great instrument for conveying tenderness
and delicacy, but Tilney throws that premise out of the window with a fast
and aggressive reading.  It has its virtues, but I feel Tilney loses a
wonderful opportunity.  Cooper chops his way through the prelude; it's not
as damaging as in the Roberts performance, but I can't report favorably on
it.

Excellent issues come from Aldwell, Hewitt, and Gould.  Betraying the
common notion that Gould plays everything too fast, his F sharp prelude
is the slowest of the seventeen versions.  The performance has all I could
want except for some less than strong accenting at times; his use of
staccato is relevatory.  Aldwell is almost as slow as Gould with a
heart-felt and joyous interpretation.  Hewitt is faster and provides
sensational syncopation.

Suzuki's performance seems to me a perfect one.  On the slow side, he
delivers wonderful levels of comfort and delicacy mixed with superb
accenting and syncopation.  Suzuki gives me an inner glow; it must be
magic.

Fugue in F sharp major - Delicately etched music continues from the F
sharp minor prelude.  This is a gem of a fugue with a string of delightful
touches and nuances.  The three-part fugue provides joyful emotions tinged
with hope and urgency.  In the right hands, this can be an exquisite and
magical creation.

Aldwell is toward the low end with a rushed performance; he sounds as
if he's "toughing it out".  Jarrett eschews the rushed approach and zooms
though the fugue without looking back; it works very well as he puts a lot
of excitement into the piece.  Other fine versions include the dark-hewn
Hewitt, the highly playful Schiff, the tender and slow Roberts, the
comforting Horszowski, the delightful Richter, the angular Leonhardt, the
cautious and deliberate Tilney, the urgent Suzuki, and the swift and
energetic Fischer.  Aside from Aldwell, each of these issues is well
appreciated.

Jando, Schepkin, Tureck, Cooper, and Gulda are outstanding.  Jando
possesses great momentum with excellent accenting.  Schepkin's is the
exquisite reading of the group.  Tureck uses much staccato and to great
effect; she also provides an 'heroic' element to the music which I love.
Gulda conveys great serenity and optimism.  Cooper possesses an
effervescence that begs for addtional listenings.

Glenn Gould is in class of his own.  He does everything the other great
versions do and also creates a musical drama of highly contrasting
emotions.  The urgency and sense of resolution keep me glued to the
headphones.  This is certainly one of Gould's best Bach interpretations.

Prelude in F sharp minor - This two-part invention well carries a wide
range of emotional content.  In the hands of most artists, it doesn't seem
that the prelude is one of Bach's more impressive achievements.  However,
three performances put the prelude in a special light and let us know how
much this prelude has to offer.  Leonhardt gives an exquisite reading with
a perfect blend of delicacy and angularity.  Schepkin is power-charged from
the first bar with a sinister element; many of the versions play the F
sharp minor for speed and excitement, and Schepkin is the most successful.
Best of all is Rosalyn Tureck who amazingly packs intense longing and
urgency into an understated reading; the subtlety of it all is very
impressive.  The remaining versions are very enjoyable except for four:
Horszowski, Jarrett, Roberts, and Richter - they achieve rather pedestrian
results.

Fugue in F sharp minor - I think of this as the "All is lost" fugue.
Highly chromatic, there is a largely unrelieved sadness from the four
voices.  Aldwell's liner notes point to the "two-note slurs from the
countersubject which express grief and exhaustion".  Jando does not express
very much with a constricted reading.  Roberts, Horszowski, Leonhardt,
Schiff, and Gould give worthy readings but are not particularly memorable.

Fischer and Hewitt are exceptional.  In addition to providing a great
deal of beauty and sadness, Fischer's reading always has an undercurrent
of tension which adds to the drama of the music.  Hewitt's performance is
the most lovely and nuanced, a most interesting reading.

My favorite version comes from Richter.  His is one of the slowest
performances, but it has superb momentum.  You know from the start that
Richter is headed for resolution; inevitability is intense.  Also,
Richter's right hand projection is stunning.  The remaining eight versions
are very good.

Update on Roberts:  Unfortunately, I'm finding that Roberts is increasingly
not providing much depth in his interpretations.  That is a shame since
many other features are in good shape.  Roberts certainly is a poetic
enough pianist with generally fine pacing; also, the recorded sound is
fabulous.  But great sound and good quality playing doesn't win the day
when the recorded competition includes some of the best artists of their
respective generations.

Prelude in G major - This fast moving prelude has joy and exuberance as
its foundation.  I find it also possesses great propulsion helped by octave
leaps from the left hand and a dynamic descending series of chords at the
conclusion.  The less rewarding issues include Gould, Richter, and Jarrett;
these three sound to me like they're mainly concerned with speed, and the
exuberance is dampened.  Horszowski, Hewitt, Roberts, and Gulda have their
subdued periods where the excitement gets stalled.  Jando just seems to be
using all his energy to negotiate through the prelude at fast speed, and
Tilney is slow and on the sluggish side.  The remaining eight versions are
excellent; each has great propulsion and exuberance.  I likely would have
declared Schepkin the best, but he has a significantly clumsy moment just
prior to the descending chords at the end of the prelude.  If you have the
opportunity, do listen to Tureck's descending chords; they are totally
mesmerizing.

Fugue in G major - This fugue, involving the inversion of the subject
and countersubject, is quick and generally serene music which gives me a
sensation of lifting off into the sky and flowing through the atmosphere.
Matters do heat up toward the conclusion as I head into a pocket of
turbulence.

Hewitt gives a three minute performance possessing excellent flow, lift,
and serenity.  Richter is under 2 1/2 minutes, but his major contrast with
Hewitt are his stronger attacks which border on being somewhat bellicose;
I can't deny that his power-packed conclusion is mighty effective.  But
overall, I prefer Hewitt for her elegance and lift; with Richter, it's a
rocky flight from the start.  Suzuki and Leonhardt are as fine as Hewitt,
although with more edge and excitement.  The gems in this group come from
Schiff and Tilney.  Schiff and Hewitt are good comparisons in that both
have similar tempo, flow, and poetry.  However, Schiff has sharper
accenting and is more expansive and interesting.  Tilney's is a very
exciting performance without using great speed; the urgency in his reading
shines through.  Although not meshing well with my perception of the music,
I find Tilney irresistable.

In the next group, Jando's reading never takes flight for me as he is
curiously subdued.  Horszowski gives a fine interpretation which excellent
optimism and lift; however, he gets too subdued in the more propulsive
passages.  Gould's very fast performance reminds me of Richter's except
that Gould has the advantage of greater lyricism as his delicacy is a
distinct improvement over Richter's sledge-hammer approach.  Schepkin's is
another fast and rewarding issue.  Aldwell's more measured reading starts
off magnificently, but he later has some problems maintaining momentum.
Cooper's exciting performance is the equal of Suzuki's and Leonhardt's.
There really aren't any pearls in this grouping.

With the next group having Fischer, Gulda, and Tureck, I expected
additional superb readings.  That doesn't happen.  Both Fischer and Gulda
are fast and relatively exciting; however, they are still well below
Tilney's excitement quotient.  Surprisingly, I don't think very well of
Tureck's interpretation.  She uses a pinching staccato in her right hand
which isn't to my liking.  Also, she is often subdued to the point of
leaving the vicinity.  Jarrett is quick, flows well, and provides good
excitement.  Roberts is on the flat/compressed side; the lift-off never
happens.

Update on Andras Schiff - In other Bach works such as the Inventions and
Goldberg Variations, I have found Schiff mannered, cute, out of proportion,
and often miles away from what I consider the Bach idiom.  However, in
Book 2 of the WTC, Schiff is very good as he zeroes in on providing great
performances instead of thinking of ways to be distinctive.  Schiff's Book
1 is sounding even better than Book 2.  All his best traits are fully on
display:  wonderful poetry, incisive and lovely accenting/phrasing, and
plenty of propulsion and urgency when required.  Schiff's G major series
is certainly the best of the seventeen versions.  Currently, I have him in
the top third of performances in Book 1.

Prelude in G minor - Prolonged trills from the right hand, a heavy gait
from the bass, and an expansive melody line create a prelude of much
sadness contrasted by a few rays of light.  I find Richter too quick and
compressed.  Jando gives a fine reading with good momentum.  Aldwell is
slow and a little sluggish.  Roberts is expansive but lacks some depth.
Schiff's reading is similar to Robert's except that Schiff has all the
feeling missing in the other's performance; It's an exceptional and
gorgeous reading highlighted by its melancholy.  Fischer is also superb
with an interpretation of subtle urgency always striving to take center
stage; he also provides a great sense of comfort which creates an incisive
contrast.

In the next group, Schepkin and Tureck give outstanding readings.  Schepkin
is very slow and dripping with melancholy.  Tureck is the epitome of
stature and beauty.  Horszowski is very good but a little too strong.
Jarrett is quick and effective; he could have delved more deeply into
the music.  Leonhardt sounds angry and condemning; it's an interesting
approach.  I didn't think very well of Hewitt's performance; her right
hand is sometimes flat and her extremes of dynamics are more than I want
to handle.

Suzuki's reading is irresistable and quite different from all the others.
Although sufficiently meancholy, there is always an undercurrent of
optimism.  Suzuki finds rays of light that no other version contemplates.
Cooper is the slowest of all issues and lacks some continuity.  Gould gives
a heart-felt performance which is more than I can say for Tilney.  Gulda
employs the fastest tempo of the seventeen versions with a "forward march"
reading of fine lyricism.  Overall, Suzuki, Schepkin, Fischer, Tureck, and
Schiff best serve the G minor Prelude; each is outstanding in its own way.

Fugue in G minor - A four-voice fugue with stretti.  The music can be
heroic, grieving, noble, and even angry.  Most important, there's an
inevitability that needs capturing.  Jando gives his worst performance;
it's fast, loud, and disagreeable.  Schiff and Roberts are a step up, but
not very rewarding.  Schiff has his loud moments and doesn't bring his
poetic nature to the table.  Roberts again is superficial.

Gulda, Tilney, Gould, Cooper, and Leonhardt are outstanding versions;
each has a strong element of striving for resolution and fine degrees of
ceremony and nobility.  The remaining versions are very good with Hewitt
providing the most angular delivery with great heroism.

Update:  Rosalyn Tureck is starting to create some distance for herself
from the other versions.  Gould, Gulda, Fischer, Suzuki, Leonhardt, Schiff,
Schepkin, and Richter have been highly rewarding.  Roberts, Horszowski, and
Jando continue toward the bottom the group; their performances have not
been bad at all, but they seldom rise to the top.

Don Satz
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