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

Partita No.6 in E minor, BWV 830
Partita No.3 in A minor, BWV 827
Partita No.1 in B flat major, BWV 825

Piotr Anderszewski, Piano
Virgin Classics 45526
Recorded 2001
TT 68:10
Comparisons: Rubsam/Naxos, Rangell/Dorian, Tureck/Philips

Piotr Anderszewski has made quite a reputation for himself in recent
years as he is regarded as one of the best young pianists in the world.
Anderszewski has a previous disc on Harmonia Mundi devoted to Bach's
keyboard music having the French Overture BWV 831 and the French Suite
BWV 816; that was an excellent set of stylish performances.  He has also
recorded the Brahms Violin Sonatas with Viktoria Mullova for Philips,
and his most recent recording was of Mozart Piano Concertos for Virgin
Classics.

As fine as the above recordings are, what really turned me on to
Anderszewski was his version of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations for
Virgin Classics.  To say that he's outstanding in this work is putting
it mildly.  Anderszewski seems to have examined every musical cell in
terms of putting across his take on Beethoven's music and psychology.
As a result, each variation is a surprise and either revelatory or
delightful.  I consider it the best recording of the Diabelli Variations
on the market.

With the above in mind, I was hoping for more revelations from Anderszewski
with his new recording of three Bach Partitas for keyboard.  Although
the performances are excellent and often exceptional, I detect little
of the creativity and insight that he supplied the Diabelli Variations.

Bach's 1st Partita is given a fairly mainstream reading by Anderszewski.
He is slower than the norm in the Praeludium and the Sarabande, but
others including Wolfgang Rubsam on Naxos are even slower.  Anderszewski
plays the faster movements in a brisk, crisp, and driving fashion,
creating much excitement along the way.  The slow movements, particularly
the Sarabande, are an exceptional blend of comfort and melancholy.
Intervals are well chosen throughout the Partita, and inflections/accenting
could hardly be better.  If anything, the 3rd Partita from Anderszewski
is more mainstream than the 1st, as the slower movements have tempos
well within the usual parameters.

Only in the 6th Partita does Anderszewski show any inclination to reshape
our customary opinions of the music, and that might be why it is placed
first on the program.  Anderszewski's best movements are probably the
Gigues where he is most invigorating, exciting, and demonstrative; I
think that's the perfect way to play these pieces and conclude each
Partita - bear down and let it rip!

Don's Conclusions: Although Anderszewski offers exceptional performances,
I am disappointed that he rarely stakes out any new territory.  Those
of you familiar with the highly individual accounts of Bach's Partitas
from Tureck, Rangell, and Rubsam will not find Anderszewski particularly
unusual.

Perhaps my expectations were too high for Anderszewski based on his
Beethoven/Diabelli disc.  At any rate, I still prefer Rubsam in this
repertoire to any other version on piano, and the Naxos price can not
be beat.  Anderszewski's sound quality is significantly better than
Rubsam's, but that's his sole advantage.

Don Satz
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