Donald Satz writes:


>I'm not really sure what Denis is trying to convey here.  I have never
>reviewed any Bach recordings of the artists mentioned above by Denis,
>so I don't know how Denis ends up feeling that I don't appreciate them.
>The reason for no reviews is fairly simple; where are their recordings
>devoted to solo Bach works? I've never seen one from Schnabel, >Serkin, or
Rubinstein.  Brendel has one or two he recorded, but they
>haven't shown up on my radar.  Concerning Brendel, I think the world >of his
Beethoven and Mozart recordings, but he has recorded little of >Bach that's
available.

Don's right about the lack of recordings of Bach by the pianists who I think
personify the highest degree of fidelity to the perfomance tradition of
German classical music. But my posting sought to make clear that I was
commenting in general terms and not in specific relation to Don's coverage
(which I think is very valuable, for what it seeks to address).

Thing is, Bach was a preceptor of German classical music.  At the heart of
the performance of his music, and even more in that which then followed it,
there lay an intellectual approach which is very special. There is a certain
Innerlichkeit (an internalizing) that applies to this sort of performance,
much as such an Innerlichkeit pervades and distiguishes German literature,
philosophy, religion, and culture in general in this "classical" period.

My contention was that  players such as Schnabel, Serkin and more lately
Brendel and Barenboim (?) were inculcated with this tradition and brought it
to their playing, whereas other players, highly gifted in other respects, did
not. This latter group figured largely in Don's coverage, and thus gave
occasion to my posting.

A part of what I consider the "true" German tradition is the relative lack of
 stress on outstanding technique; rather, what is  desired is outstanding
spirituality. If you can understand that without craving  greater precision
then you're beginning to approach the kind of spirituality I'm talking about.
The whole thing is somewhat ineffable, probably because it concerns
acculturation rather than rationalization. (I'm also talking here and in my
previous posting of perfomance in general, not recordings specifically . As
you may have gathered from previous postings of mine, I consider live
performances far more gripping and meaningful than recordings.Incidentally, I
never heard either Schnabel or Serkin play Bach, though I'd  be surprised if
in the course of their long careers they had not done so.)

Denis Fodor