Bach's Four Duets (BWV 802-05) are part of his Klavierbung Three where
all the music, with the exception of the Duets, is based on chorales.
The creation of these four pieces and insertion in the Klavierbung Three
is somewhat of a mystery.  Were the Duets inserted at the last moment for
"exercise" purposes? Were they intended to be performed on the organ? There
are no clear answers, but I think it's fair to say that they don't appear
to have an integral link with the other music of the Klavierbung Three.

Some consider the Duets to be unjustly neglected.  However, they are
recorded with some frequency.  As to form, each duet is in two parts/voices
and involves much chromatic writing, invertible counterpoint, and great
polyphonic intricacies.  The Duets are arranged in ascending keys and
possess four different meters.  It is viable to think of the Duets as
additions to the Two Part Inventions written by Bach about twenty years
earlier.

In addition to the Koroliov version, the comparison versions include
recordings already used in Part I and/or Part II of the Kororliov reviews
- Gilbert, Woolley, Schepkin, and Tureck.  The three new entrants in the
survey are:

Tatiana Nikolayeva - Hyperion 66631/2 (coupled with Art of Fugue).
Angela Hewitt - DG 419218 (coupled with other short works).
Peter Serkin - RCA 68594 (coupled with the Inventions/Sinfonias).

Duet in E minor, BWV 802 - This duet is dance-like in nature and provides
much invertible counterpoint.  I'm rather fussy about what I want from the
performance: a great deal of nuance, a strong stature, mystery, and soft
to moderate volume.  I was very surprised at my reaction to five of the
versions: Tureck, Woolley, Serkin, Gilbert, and Koroliov.  I didn't like
them at all.  I found Tureck painfully slow and uninteresting, Woolley
was acceptable but too straight-forward, Serkin sounded rushed and not
interested, Gilbert's sound was "in your face" and when I got rid of
that problem, I discovered that the performance was stodgy, and Koroliov
actually became bellicose at times.  One aspect of their performances which
was in common was that each one gave me the perception that scales were
being played - that's not good.

That leaves just three versions which I can recommend.  Schepkin's is a
fine performance with excellent nuances and a fair degree of stature and
mystery.  But Hewitt is also highly nuanced with a hushed mystery which
easily eclipses the Schepkin version.  Nikolayeva is the equal of Hewitt
with a very different reading which is stark, aristocratic, and loaded with
stature.  She also is best at highlighting the ever interesting interplay
between the two voices.

Duet in F major, BWV 803 - This duet is a two part fugue in ABA form.
The first part is strong and joyful, the second part is in the minor mode
and highly chromatic with stretti, inversion, and double counterpoint.
I find the second part most enjoyable when played with a high level of
angularity, and only two versions (Woolley and Koroliov) deliver on that
score and provide a highly interesting reading.  Woolley is also superb in
the joyous first part, but Koroliov allows a fast pace to lessen the poetry
and the joy.  Tureck's first part is revelatory in its pacing and attention
to detail.  Hewitt is equally effective in the first part with a fast
pace and lyricism that's infectious; she well reveals the drawbacks in
Koroliov's first part.  So, Woolley is best, with Koroliov, Tureck, and
Hewitt having much to offer.  The remaining versions do well with the first
part but have little impact in the second part.

Duet in G major, BWV 804 - The G major Duet is a Siciliano which is joyous
in nature with a little mystery thrown in for good measure.  The semiquaver
parts add much to the impact and joy of the music.  Although worthwhile,
six versions had some problems: Serkin and Tureck are too soft-focused,
Koroliov sounds disjointed and rushed, Woolley has choppy pacing, Schepkin
is fussy, and Nikolayeva is rather lifeless.  Actually, her performance
is quite similar to Hewitt's except that Hewitt delivers a vitality and
mystery that eludes Nikolayeva.  Hewitt's version is also eventful and
exciting; in addition, it sounds better as the volume is increased (always
a great sign).

Equal to Hewitt is Mr. Gilbert.  To get the best of Gilbert, I had to
reduce the treble controls significantly and increase the bass response; at
my usual settings, the music was fierce and piercing.  Once done with the
adjustments, I was listening to a performance of great momentum and flow;
Gilbert figuratively takes the most efficient route between two points.  In
terms of flow, it's as if the Ferris Wheel just keeps going round and round
as the family enjoys its outing at the carnival.  Or you can imagine that
the speed is going out of control, and that a person you can't stand is in
one of the seats (sounds like a winner to me).  The "out of control" aspect
actually happened to my wife and daughter many years ago, and it was the
scariest time of my adult life.  Even though Gilbert is bringing back that
memory, I still love his version.

Duet in A minor, BWV 805 - This is my favorite Bach Duet.  It easily
accomodates a variety of interpretations and tempos.  A two part fugue, the
music has great emotional depth and breadth.  It is stunningly beautiful,
tender, mysterious, lyrical, and joyful.  Tureck and Hewitt were the first
to be removed from the stack.  Regardless of Tureck's performance, she can
hardly be heard in the softer passages.  That required of me the task of
frequently adjusting the volume so that the other passages wouldn't injure
my eardrum, and I got tired of the chore and wasn't enjoying the music.
Hewitt is the fastest, and it doesn't help matters.  Details and emotion
are reduced; attention is focused on speed.  Further, her performance is a
stern one, and I don't feel that this music meshes well with that approach.
Frankly, I'm surprised at her interpretive decisons with this duet.

Much better are Woolley and Gilbert.  They are similar in enjoyment
although Woolley is almost as fast as Hewitt.  Both harpsichord versions
provide a swaggering joy that's impossible to resist.

Schepkin, Koroliov, Serkin, and Nikolayeva each bring a consistent
distinction to the A minor Duet which raises them to the top level.
Serkin's reading is so delicate and eventful at about three minutes.
With a similar tempo, Schepkin is beautifully elegant and constantly
interesting.  Nikolayeva slows down the pace to four minutes, and expertly
highlights the voice interplay while delivering a reading of stature,
drama, joy, and poetry.  Koroliov luxuriates in the music with a six minute
performance (Hewitt is about two minutes).  Dangerous though this may be,
he succeeds superbly.  I never lost interest and was consistently provided
new insights - his version is a feast.

If Hewitt had stayed on the path she took with the first three duets,
her version would be a clear best.  As it is, I still think hers best
represents the spirit of the music, and she's the sole pianist of the group
to give excellent readings in three of the four duets.  All the others have
much to offer with the exception of Tureck.  I didn't feel that any of her
versions were excellent.  Much of that could be due to the sound; there is
tendency for the soft notes to fade out which really hit its peak in the
fourth duet.

If I had to pick a 2nd best version, I'd go with Nikolayeva who is superb
in the first and fourth duet.

Koroliov does as well in the Duets as most of the other versions.  His
outstanding fourth duet raised his overall performance substantially.  With
two works remaining to be reviewed, Koroliov's disc is very appealing.

Don Satz
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