If anyone deserves legendary status as a Bach keyboard performer, it's
probably Wanda Landowska.  Some refer to Rosalyn Tureck as the "High
Priestess" of Bach keyboard performance; that would make Landowska the
Queen.

For many years, I've had trouble adjusting to the sound quality of
Landowska's recordings, but I've managed to overcome that issue and simply
tune into the performances themselves.  Although a few folks consider
Landowska's Bach a relic of the past, there can be no doubt that she fully
identified with Bach's idiom and gave Bach enthusiasts some outstanding
live and recorded performances.  The Book 1 recording under review comes
from RCA Red Seal with a catalog number of 6217-2-RC.  A very enlightening
aspect of the production is that Landowska herself gives detailed
descriptions of each set of preludes & fugues.

Every one of the preludes & fugues of Book 1 finds Landowska having much
to offer.  These are the very special performances:

Prelude & Fugue in C sharp major - In the Prelude, Landowska is quick,
urgent, and exciting.  Her handling of the broken chords is superb.  Joy
permeates her Fugue in C sharp minor, and the momentum is stunning.

Prelude & Fugue in C sharp minor - The depth delivered by Landowska in
the Prelude is very impressive and fully conveys the bitter/sweet nature of
the music.  The Fugue is more severe than the Prelude; Landowska makes the
adjustment beautifully with a very slow reading which strikes the heart of
the music's core and my heart as well.  Her rays of light in the Fugue are
revelatory.

Prelude in D major - The joy and rhythmic vitality in Landowska's Prelude
is a pleasure to experience.

Prelude in D minor - An energized and foreboding interpretation of the
Prelude which is one of the best I've heard.

Prelude & Fugue in E flat major - A magnificent prelude played
magnificently by Landowska.  There's an inevitability to her reading which
reminds me of Leonhardt at his best.  Then comes the vivacious Fugue and
Landowska returns to her youth.

Prelude in E major - Landowska provides a slow paced and incisive reading
excellently mixing the urgent and comforting moods.

Prelude & Fugue in E minor - In Landowska's hands, the Prelude is rich and
anticipatory; then the concluding Presto section releases all the energy
stored earlier.  Her E minor Fugue is in Richter's league - pure dynamite
with all hell breaking loose.

Prelude & Fugue in F major - Joyfully and incisively performed by
Landowska, her climax in the Prelude is thrilling to behold.  Landowska's
Fugue is strong, authoritarian, and vital.

Prelude & Fugue in F minor - The rays of light in the Prelude come
through with great optimism in Landowska's reading.  The Fugue goes well
with any depressing event you might have lived through or be thinking of;
Landowska's authority can not be denied as her reading is majestic, slow,
and inevitable.

Fugue in F sharp major - A wonderful blend of joy and urgency permeate
Landowska's interpretation; there's not a better one on record.

Prelude in F sharp minor - Landowska delivers a great prelude of perpetual
motion and eerie atmosphere.

Prelude & Fugue in G minor - Supreme sadness and a wonderful gait highlight
Landowska's Prelude.  Her Fugue in G minor has great nobility, ceremony,
and that inevitable quality so important in this fugue.

Prelude & Fugue in A flat major - Intense joy and excitement dominate
Landowska's reading of the Prelude.  The Fugue has fantastic phrasing and
momentum.

Prelude & Fugue in G sharp minor - Landowska beautifully captures the
bitter/sweet essence of the Prelude.  The dark and dreadful emotional
themes of the Fugue are delivered with authority and urgency.

Prelude & Fugue in A major - Landowska again hits the bulls-eye with a
joyous and youthful Prelude.  Her Fugue is on the slow side but accented
strongly with a zig-zag motion that's irresistable.

Fugue in A minor - Great rhythmic vitality and authority are displayed by
Landowska.

Prelude & Fugue in B flat major - Once again, Landowska fully delivers the
energy and power needed for a piece like the Prelude in B flat major.  Her
performance of the Fugue, with great accenting and joy, is one of the best.

Prelude & Fugue in B flat minor - The Prelude is ever so slow and rich
in emotional content; sadness and grief just drips off the performance.
Her Fugue has determination written all over it, and the rays of light
are exquisite.

Prelude & Fugue in B major - There are very few artists who convey much
of a sense of inevitability in performances of the Prelude, but Landowska
makes it the central element of her reading.  Although the pace is very
slow, a deep and subtle joy permeates the performance.  Her Fugue is joyous
and loaded with delicious ceremonial themes.

The above is a very high percentage of wonderful readings.  The others not
mentioned are all very rewarding.

Landowska and Tureck are very different Bach artists.  I tend to feel
that Tureck covers the entire musical landscape with great poetry and
incisiveness.  Landowska has a much stronger sense of destination and the
determination to reach there.  In that regard, performers such as Gulda and
Leonhardt are similar to her.

Is Landowska's WTC Book 1 as good as the versions from Gould, Gulda, and
Tureck? At least at this moment, I prefer not to delve into that question.
Suffice it to say that Landowska is one the few Bach performers on record
that give me the feeling that I am listening to Bach, not a performance of
a Bach composition.

Concerning the sound quality, I had mentioned that I once had problems with
sound such as provided in the Landowska recordings.  I expected problems,
focused on problems, and allowed the sound to interfere with my listening
enjoyment.  Two things got me over the hurdle.  First, just the continued
experience of listening to sound not up-to-date kept making it easier to
live with it.  Second, I decided to think of the sound as just 'different',
not worse.  The main aspect of the sound provided to Landowska is that it
does not interfere with the listening experience.  It would be great to
hear her in modern sound, but we often have to settle for the next best
thing as Warren Zevon put so concisely.  In this case, the next best thing
is superb.  Also, if you've heard that Landowska's readings are perverse,
odd, or out of fashion, forget it immediately.  It's just nonsense; there
are no perversions, just Bach.

Don's Conclusions:  Landowska is special and essential.  But don't expect
a Tureck-type approach.  Strength and determination are major components
of Landowska's Bach, and she provides these qualities better than anyone
else.  I'll be reviewing her Goldberg Variations in the near future; those
recording sessions were about 15 years earlier than for the WTC.  It will
be interesting to hear the sound differences between the two.

Don Satz
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