Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
         Solo Keyboard Music

Well Tempered Clavier Book I, BWV 846-869
Daniel Barenboim, piano
Recorded at Teldex Studio, Berlin, December 2003
Warner Classics 2564 61553-2 [2cds - 124:44]

Daniel Barenboim is not readily associated with baroque keyboard music,
and the reasons are apparent when listening to his interpretations.
Barenboim has tended to give baroque music a romanticized slant that
doesn't fit well with the historical record or the likely aesthetics
needed.  Further, he can also engage in some odd mannerisms entirely
beyond the scope of the scores and the baroque idiom.

Having said the above, I did find his recording of the Goldberg Variations
interesting for its distinctive approach while also being exasperated
with its many peculiar quirks.  The good news for the Well Tempered
Clavier is that Barenboim eschews the quirks; the bad news is he also
is not distinctive.  The fact is that the interpretations are mainstream
with little new to say about the music.  The new recording is neither
the best nor worst Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 on piano I have heard
over the years.  It doesn't come close to matching the artistry of the
sets by Richter, Gould, Tureck, Gulda, Fischer, or the new Fellner on
ECM.  Conversely, it is much better than the emotionally superficial set
from Roberts on Nimbus.

The two words I feel best describe Barenboim's performances are 'pristine'
and 'soft-spoken'.  I can't say he's particularly warm and affectionate
like Fellner.  Concerning emotional depth, he can't compare to the
exploratory Tureck.  On the basis of excitement and thrills, he is well
below Gould, and the precision of his readings can't match Gulda.  However,
Barenboim uses every opportunity to play the music in a fresh and soft
manner.  Of course, there are many preludes and fugues that require great
tension and powerful utterances; Barenboim does well in this area but
sometimes is overly restrained as in the Prelude in C minor where he
doesn't accept the music's great strength until the conclusion.

I do need to back off a little concerning the soft-spoken trait,
because there are quite a few times when Barenboim's lower voices are
too demonstrative and aggressive.  What I find inexplicable is that this
happens during 'soft' periods when the upper voices are pristine.  Then
all of a sudden, there come those lower voices sounding as if they are
spoken by crude professional wrestlers.  The result is a loss of the
very mood Barenboim intends and a skewing of the balance of the musical
lines.  The sound quality isn't great either.  The soundstage has a great
deal of air, most of it wet.  This makes it difficult to hear the fine
detail among Bach's voices, and that's not good.

Frankly, I don't find Barenboim to have much affinity for Bach's music,
although I imagine he would strongly disagree.  Because of Barenboim's
fine pianism, there is much to enjoy in the set.  However, he doesn't
convey any particular message, and the sound world he offers has little
consistency.

Don's Conclusions: In a highly competitive field, Barenboim's set is
not one of the more rewarding versions of the Well Tempered Clavier Book
1.  I can give it a very mild recommendation, but I don't believe the
set warrants its premium price.  If you're looking for a recent piano
version, my best advice is to look to the Till Fellner set on ECM.

Don Satz
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