Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828 - The Partita in D major might be the
most popular of the six; it is certainly my favorite.  It begins with a
superb French-style Overture: the double-dotted Grave is followed by a
three part fugue.  What makes a performance of this movement excellent and
memorable? For me, the Grave is most effective when it has a ceremonial
swagger, urgency, and probing/heart-felt pacing and accenting; the fugue
needs to be very powerful, exciting, and still highly lyrical.  Of course,
the music can well handle a number of different approaches which can be
highly rewarding to listeners.

After listening to each version a few times, I am very impressed with the
overall level of performance.  Schepkin's is a very good and quick reading
with much urgency and poetry in the Grave and a fairly exciting Fugue.  The
only problem is that the other versions are so good that Schepkin's fine
performance is at the bottom as it is not highly distinctive compared to
the others and lacks a little "polish".

Kahane is even faster than Schepkin in the Grave, perhaps a little too fast
with reduced poetry.  Kahane more than makes up for any small problem in
the Grave with the most exciting Fugue of the eight versions.  He takes me
on a roller coaster ride while still maintaining a high degree of lyricism.

Goode represents the reverse of Kahane.  Goode's Fugue is somewhat
underpowered although very lyrical and elegant.  His Grave is a work of
art; everything I could want in this music is what Goode delivers.  The
ceremonial swagger is in full swing as is the sense of urgency, poetry,
and depth of feeling.  The pacing is outstanding; the Grave doesn't get
any better than this.

Leonhardt does a fine job in both the Grave and Fugue.  My basic
reservation concerns the recorded sound which is somewhat harsh and reduces
my listening pleasure.  He's better than Schepkin but not at the high level
of Goode or Kahane.

Four versions are outstanding in both the Grave and Fugue.  Tureck is
slowest as she probes every note and provides the best counterpoint of any
version; she also uses staccato to wonderful effect.  Gould is penetrating,
exciting, and delivers a thoroughly majestic reading.  Hewitt is superbly
ceremonial in the Grave and powerful and exquisitely poetic in the Fugue.
Pinnock hits all the right buttons, and his Fugue is perpertual motion.
I've spent three days listening to this music, and each of these four
versions just sounds better with time.

The Allemande is one of my favorite Bach keyboard pieces.  This is a good
time to bring up the subject of masterful vs.  magical music.  Masterful
music is a treasure to listen to with its superb combination of craft and
artistry.  Magical music almost defies description as it hardly seems
possible that a human is the composer; the music is from the "Gods", and
the listening experience is at an exalted level.  That's how I feel about
this allemande - it is a magical piece with an abundance of magical
moments.

Naturally, with music of this quality, I want performances which fully
deliver the magic.  Goode delivers none; his performance is beautiful,
hear-felt, and poignant.  He well projects Bach's mastery but nothing more.
Much of the problem is the extremely soft focus of his interpretation; this
music has a strong element of the affirmation of life, and Goode is too
demure.  Hewitt, Schepkin, Leonhardt, Pinnock, and Kahane give outstanding
readings.  Projection, depth, lyricism, etc.  are all at a high level.
However, magic is sporadic.

Tureck and Gould deliver magical readings throughout the Allemande.  Each
is very strongly projected, continuously probing all elements of the music
while conveying the highest levels of beauty and lyricism.  Gould's version
has two aspects I don't care for; he skips the first theme's repeat, and
there are two spots where I don't appreciate his use of staccato.  But,
his is a majestic reading which easily overcomes the two reservations.
The listening experience with both versions has an other-worldly quality
to it.

Although the Courante has the disadvantage of following the supreme
Allemande, it is an outstanding piece is its own right, loaded with
momentum, power, and lyricism.  Kahane takes the very fast route, yet
doesn't deliver much power or momentum; he also tends to be choppy with
a resulting loss of lyricism.

Leonhardt's version is very good with plenty of momentum and power; the
lyricism is low, however, as he's too austere and the sound has a rough
quality to it.  Tureck is slow paced and probing.  Her only problem is some
very weak projection which keeps the performance from being superb.  Hewitt
is also very good with a moderate tempo and fine power and momentum; she
does get a little choppy at times.  Schepkin is highly lyrical with a
slight lack of sufficient projection.

Gould is a master of projection, and he fully displays it in the Courante.
Like Tureck, he is slow paced, but his reading is majestic and heroic.  I
feel it's a superior performance which is the best of the eight versions.

Goode, as with Kahane, takes the fast track, and he is so much better at
it.  His momentum, power, and lyricism are always at a high level.  The
same applies to Pinnock who is a little slower than Goode.  Both these
versions are bettered only by Gould.

I find much of the music in Partita No. 4 to be of a ceremonial and
heroic nature.  Such is the case with the next movement, a joyful aria in
2/4 time.  And Gould is the performer who really brings out consistently
the piece's heroic elements; his staccato is also stunning.  Each of the
other versions has many fine points but can't compare to Gould.  I'd just
like to mention that Goode provides a slow, luxurious, and highly poetic
reading that's quite beautiful, although without any trace of ceremony.
Also, when I was playing Goode, my wife actually came into the room and
sat down; she said that the music was lovely.  I said that the Gould would
really impress her.  After a couple of minutes of Gould, she told me that
he sounded pompous and loud.  Who are you going to believe - her or me?

The Sarabande is a thoroughly gorgeous movement of elegance, tenderness,
urgency, and reflection.  But, I still prefer this music to have ceremonial
and heroic elements.  As with the Aria, Goode eschews those elements but
does provide another beautiful interpretation.  Schepkin and Hewitt are
mighty fine also as they gets into ceremony to a degree and provide
heart-felt performances.  Kahane is also excellent with a quick pace and a
great feel for the music's urgency.  Tureck delivers one of the most tender
and probing performances, although it is hampered by the piano sound which
is too recessed in softer passages.

Leonhardt gets mid-way to the heart of the music's ceremony and heroism.
His performance is also a gorgeous one with exquisite elegance and
tenderness.  Pinnock delivers a "role-model" performance; eveything is
right and the harpsichord sounds delightful.  He's much less "dark" than
Leonhardt.

Gould's Sarabande is in a class of its own.  The ceremony and heroism
are "constants".  The amazing aspect of this reading is that elegance,
tenderness, urgency, and reflection are also in abundance.  This is
recorded proof that Gould is an artist of the highest order.

A short menuet which combines duple and triple rhythms is next, and
Schepkin polishes it off in only 46 seconds.  He's very quick and quirky,
sounding unmusical at times.  Goode is much better, slower, highly
poetic/lyrical, and soft-spoken.  Kahane projects more strongly than
Goode, and provides a little pomp and ceremony; both readings are very
good.  Tureck's tempo is quite slow; she's highly lyrical with excellent
counterpoint.  Leonhardt adds much ceremony and heroism to the music, but
the sound is a little harsh; Pinnock's performance is similar - but with
slightly better sound and less attractive pacing.  Hewitt is also highly
ceremonial with an excellent reading.  Gould, this time, overdoes the
ceremony aspect and gives some unattractive staccato passages and note
banging; He and Schepkin are not very pleasureable listening experiences.
The other six versions are rewarding.

Partita No. 4's Gigue is the time to crank up the volume to listen to one
of Bach's most powerful and exciting keyboard pieces.  Power, projection,
and pacing can provide an excellent performance; all eight versions deliver
the essentials.  But two, Pinnock and Kahane, also display the music's
perpetual motion; I'm awash in exciting sounds.

Summary for Partita No. 4:

These eight versions are of high quality.  I have Schepkin at the bottom,
but his performances have much to offer.  Even better are Hewitt,
Leonhardt, Goode, and Kahane.  Concerning Leonhardt, this is the first
partita where he's not the best in the survey.

Pinnock and Tureck are at a higher level, but it's Gould who's on top.
Although he falls off a little in the Menuet and the Gigue, he is close to
perfect in the first five movements.  His sense of ceremony and heroism are
just what appeal to me most about this partita.  The version which is most
opposite to Gould's is from Goode who is much softer and gentler.

Concerning the five full sets up to this point, much of Leonhardt's
advantage over Pinnock and Tureck was erased with the 4th Partita.  There's
a wealth of magic in the work, and Leonhardt found little of it.  Hewitt is
currently some distance back, and Schepkin is way back.  Regardless, I
wouldn't part with his set; it's quite good.

Don Satz
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