Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
      The Partitas for Keyboard

Partitas:
No. 1 in B flat,  BWV 825
No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
No. 3 in A minor, BWV 827
No. 4 in D major, BWV 828
No. 5 in G major, BWV 829
No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830

Dorian 93242(2-cd set)
Recorded June 2000
Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts
Hamburg Steinway(Model D)
Andrew Rangell, Piano
TT 138:38

Comparative Version: Bernard Roberts - Nimbus 2000

Summary Rating: B+

Andrew Rangell was born in Chicago in 1948 and rasied in Colorado.
He graduated from Julliard with a doctorate degree in piano.  Concerning
recordings, Rangell has primarily been a 'Dorian man" with six discs under
his belt.  He has recorded Bach's Goldberg Variations, two volumes of
Beethoven piano sonatas, Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, and two volumes
titled "A Recital of Intimate Works".  I should add that the liner notes
also refer to Rangell's intimate approach to making music - more on
Rangell's intimacy a little later.  Reviews of his discs have tended
to be lukewarm.

I decided to use the Bernard Roberts set for an overall comparison.
It's particularly appropriate as it was recently issued and is priced as
one premium disc; the same pricing applies to the new Rangell set.  In my
review of the Roberts set, my recommendation was a qualified one; Roberts
is always tasteful and tuneful, but his approach is on the light side and
perhaps more rewarding while travelling down the highway with some degree
of concentration on not getting wrapped around a tree.

Comparing Roberts with Rangell reveals strong differences.  With Roberts,
the spectrum of tempos, interpretative decisions, and emotional themes are
narrow.  It's as if he read the scores for a few hours and told his support
crew - "I'm ready to roll".  In contrast, Rangell is very slow in the
slower movements and quite fast in the faster ones; he relishes hitting
the outer boundaries.  Rangell often uses hesitations and other devices
to highlight various passages and motifs that he finds particularly
illuminating.  It is clear to this listener than Rangell has thought long
and hard about how best to interpret and present these six Bach works.
His rhythmic variety is much greater than what Roberts provides.  To put
it simply, Roberts entertains while Rangell explores.

I also did the vehicle test.  Can all that is provided by the performer be
assimilated and fully appreciated while driving? In the case of Roberts,
the answer is a clear 'yes'; with Rangell, I couldn't get close to taking
in the full range of Rangell's performances.  Rangell has more to offer and
reminds me of the superb Rubsam performances on Naxos; both provide a fine
mix of the emotional and cerebral with a strong feel of improvisation.

However, all is not in green pastures.  Rangell has a preference for
intimacy which can get in the way of providing the excitement and muscle
which some of the movements cry out for.  Also, there are times when he
bypasses the intimate approach when the music lends itself very well to it.
In comparisions with other versions besides Roberts, Rangell does not stand
tall with the best.  Overall, the set is a keeper but with some
reservations.

Here are some highlights of the Rangell set:

Partita No.  1 - The combination of improvisation, thought, and emotional
depth comes to the forefront in Rangell's Praeludium and the Sarabande.
Performed very slowly, both readings are gorgeous, and I always have the
sense that Rangell is deciding how to play as he goes along.  His Allemande
has effective hesitations and tempo variations in a moderately staccato
performance; he also provides plenty of angularity, muscle, and tenderness.
Rangell's Courante, Menuet series, and Gigue are joyous excursions.  My
sole reservation is a little use of the highest register in Menuet II; the
sound becomes slightly glassy.  Overall, I am very impressed with Rangell's
B flat major.

Partita No.  2 - My euphoria from Rangell's B flat major fades some in
the C minor.  A pattern is emerging of exceptional readings of the slower
movements of the partitas which are introverted and quite intimate; the
other side is that Rangell never generates a high degree of excitement in
the faster movements in the manner of Gould or Karl Richter.  An example of
all this is provided by Rangell's treatment of the slow middle section and
the concluding fugue of the Sinfonia.  His middle section is wonderfully
thoughtful and tense, but the fugue is far off from providing the full
measure of the excitement that's inherent in the music.  Rangell is not
performing at a low level; it's just that he is much more in sync with
Bach's introspective side.

Partita No.  3 - I mentioned that Rangell and Rubsam share some
similarities; they also have differences concerning wisdom of decisions.
The A minor Partita presents a couple of examples.  Rubsam takes the
Fantasia, slows it way down, and molds it into his strength of probing
introspection.  Rangell has the same strength, but he plays the Fantasia
for speed and excitement without much success.  Rubsam's Sarabande is
slow and gorgeous; inexplicably, Rangell is quick and loses his powers
of conveying emotional depth.  Overall, Rangell's A minor is not very
rewarding as he bypasses the opportunities to display his particular
strengths as a Bach performing artist.

Partita No.  4 - From where I sit, the D major has to be a good one for
any set to rank highly; I feel it has the most inspiring and ceremonial
music of the six partitas and an Allemande which is one of Bach's greatest
creations.  The Gould version has long been my standard with the incredible
heroism he injects in every movement.

How does Rangell fare in the 'BIG TEST'? Quite well, particularly in
the Aria, Menuet, and Gigue; I love his intensity in the Gigue's second
section.  I would have liked more excitement in the Overture, and the
Allemande could have benefited from some 'oomph' from time to time to
enhance contrast.  My main reservation about Rangell's Allemande concerns
'breadth', a feature which the Allemande well absorbs and is one of
Rangell's strengths as a Bach performer.  In essence, Rangell does not
observe the repeat of the first section, thereby passing up another
opportunity to display his considerable musical gifts.  The odd thing
about it is that Rangell generally observes the repeats in the Partitas;
he certainly picks the worst time to omit one.  So, we have a very good
performance of this D major Parita dampened some by no repeat in the
Allemande and a little deficiency of muscle.

Partita No.  5 - Rosalyn Tureck's version on Philips is an excellent one
for comparison with Rangell.  Actually, Rangell holds his own through his
Sarabande which is gorgeous and introspective.  However, the last three
movements belong to Tureck.  Her Tempo di minuetto has a mesmerizing
build-up and release of energy; Rangell is too concerned with distinctive
rhythms to see the forest for the trees.  In the powerful Gigue, Tureck's
strength is amazing while Rangell continues to dwell in the weeds.  He
seems to get totally absorbed in detail.  Also, I miss the aristocratic
style that Tureck conveys so well.

For the Partita No.  6 in E minor, I just listened solely to Rangell for
enjoyment on its own basis.  His Toccata is one of the slowest and more
thought-provoking around.  This piece covers a wide range of emotions, and
Rangell conveys them very well.  In the Allemande, Rangell is again on the
slow side with plenty of vulnerability and urgency.  The Air finds Rangell
taking a staccato approach with perhaps a little too much force.  The
Sarabande gives Rangell the opportunity to indulge his introverted and
intimate strengths; he fully delivers.  In the Tempo di Gavotta, Rangell
is appropriately playful but displays a rather strong atmosphere.  I'm not
very impressed with the concluding Gigue; it has severe counterpoint which
Rangell doesn't detail with sufficient strength, and the 'dancing' quality
of the music is absent.  Overall, Rangell's E minor is a fine one not
approaching the best versions.

Don's Conclusions:  Comparisions with the sets from Bernard Roberts,
Glenn Gould, Edward Parmentier, Gustav Leonhardt, Trevor Pinnock, Wolfgang
Rubsam, Rosalyn Tureck, and Angela Hewitt are generally not kind to Andrew
Rangell.  He consistently surpasses Roberts, but that's not a huge
accomplishment.  I do enjoy Rangell's set as much as the Hewitt, but I have
some conceptual differences with Hewitt which lead me to believe than most
listeners would prefer Hewitt over Rangell.

Concerning my favorite sets(Gould, Rubsam, Tureck, Leonhardt, Pinnock),
Rangell keeps coming up short.  He's most similar to Rubsam in terms
of slow tempos, expansive/cerebral readings, and a strong feel of
improvisation and intimacy.  It's just that Rubsam does it all better
and always zeroes in on his strengths; Rangell occasionally abandons
his strengths through some poor decision making.

Although Rangell does not compare very well to the best alternative sets,
his readings are clearly enjoyable and often illuminating.  I'd rate them
at the level of Hewitt and as good or better than most other versions.
They deserve full concentration as Rangell does not offer us a mainstream
set of performances.  I recommend the set with the reservations expressed;
the price is certainly advantageous as well.  Sound quality is fine,
although there is a tendency for a little harshness when Rangell is
demonstrative.  The liner notes and details of each Partita are provided
by Mr.  Rangell; I find this preferable to a third party commentary which
often doesn't align well with the approach of the performing artist.  Cover
art is enticing with a lily projected against a black background; it's
quite stunning.

Don Satz
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