Keith Jarrett recorded Bach's French Suites on harpsichord for ECM in 1993.
It took me six years, but I finally acquired this 2-disc set over the
weekend.
It's a great recording. Sound and performance are excellent. Jarrett, as
usual with Bach, is inside his idiom and provides a very stylish account of
the French Suites. Recorded sound is superb, with the harpsichord properly
positioned and rich sounding.
I'm not aware of much recorded competition on harpsichord for an entire
set of french suites. Moroney on Harmonia Mundi and Hogwood on Decca are
my alternatives. I've always felt that the Hogwood was superb - great
playing and recorded sound. The Jarrett is in this company and a close
second. I'm not enamored of the sound quality on the Moroney account;
there's a lack of depth that is inferior to the Hogwood. I must admit
that I'm fairly fussy about recorded harpsichord sound. I often find it
too tinny and shallow. Jarrett's and Hogwood's recordings have no such
problem.
Don Satz
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