Partita No. 1 in B flat major BWV 825
Partita No. 2 in C minor BWV 826
Prelude and Fughetta in G major BWV 902
Capriccio in B flat major BWV 992

Naxos 8.550692 - Recorded 1992
Wolfgang Rubsam, Piano
TT 65:14

Summary for the Collector on the Prowl for Greatness: This is it

I found Rubsam's disc in Part 1 to be quite a revelation.  What I had heard
from him in the past was not particularly rewarding, but I was thoroughly
taken with his performances of the first two French Suites and the two
other works on the recording.

I'm pleased to report that this second disc is even more to my liking than
the first.  The Partitas have a little more meat to them than the French
Suites, and Rubsam takes full advantage of the greater intensity.

To my mind, great performances all have one commmon thread; they make the
listener feel that there's been a connection made between the souls of
the artist and the composer.  Performers of Bach such as Tureck, Gulda,
and Leonhardt give me this feeling.  Rubsam is increasingly leading me to
place him in such company.  Each of these artists has a personal and unique
vision which takes shape after searching for the core of Bach's music.
Their interpretations are different from the norm, and it's not for sake of
being different or garnering attention and a niche to own.  Integrity is a
very important component of masterful performances.

What makes Rubsam a candidate for such lofty territory? Just listen to
the beginning of the Praeludium in the B flat major; each note is struck
at the right moment with the perfect degree of weight and nuance.  Rubsam
makes it a softly and deeply poignant opening fanfare.  His hesitations in
the Allemande add to the emotional juices, and I usually don't care for
hesitations as they tend to damage momentum.  The Courante's first theme
is joyous, sparkling, and full of life.  The improvisatory nature of his
Sarabande is illuminating; Rubsam does veer toward emotional over-kill a
couple of times but it's of very short duration.  His Menuet series is
unique; Menuet I is always questioning the direction being taken, and II
is ceremonial and pensive at the same time.  The concluding Giga has great
momentum and excitement.

The Sinfonia of the C minor Partita is fantastic music with a sublime
Andante framed by a grave and a fugue.  I would have liked the chords in
Rubsam's Grave to be more sustaining, but the Andante is filled with subtle
mystery and foreboding and the Fugue's beginning with both hands playing
staccato is treasureable in its interplay.  The melancholy and urgency in
the Allemande would surely melt the hardest person's heart.  The Courante
is very slow and much more expressive than in most versions.  Perhaps
Rubsam's best performance in the Suite is his Sarabande where all his best
qualities come to center stage; this reading is one not to be missed.  The
Rondeaux is excellent, although the concluding Capriccio does not receive
my affection; it's too slow and undernourished.  I always feel that this
Capriccio needs strong drive and at least a hint of wildness.

The Prelude and Fughetta in G major is an early writing of the G major
Prelude and Fugue from Bach's WTC II.  Rubsam plays it excellently with
a very transparent and delicate touch.

The Capriccio in B flat major is one of my favorite individual Bach
keyboard works.  In the opening Andante, Rubsam beautifully captures
the mixture of sadness and dignity of the funeral theme.  The central
Adagissimo is treated with an intense sadness, and the remainder of the
work is loaded with heroism and concludes with a wonderfully regal
send-off.  Rubsam's is now my peferred piano verson of the Capriccio.

Don's Conclusions:  This Rubsam disc is an essential acqusition.  You
get two commanding Partitas, the best Capriccio on the market, and an
interesting building-block of the G major Prelude & Fugue from the WTC II.
By way of reference, a liking for Gould, Gulda, or Tureck should insure a
great reception for Rubsam.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]