The Toccata in C minor BWV 911 has a prelude consisting of an opening
toccata and fantasia-like Adagio; the following fugue is a massive one
in two sections with the second section a double fugue of the same tempo
with the countersubject having sixteenth notes which gives the illusion of
greater speed.  Troeger, Watchorn, and Tilney provide fine performances,
but it is the Gould that I find most interesting on positive and negative
grounds.  On the positive side, Gould continues to deliver superb adagios;
this one is prayer-like, quite dramatic, and much more rewarding than the
other three versions.  Gould's double fugue is another matter.  He
sectionalizes it so thoroughly that any sense of continuity is destroyed.
Yet, I still enjoy his playing within the little sections he creates and
consider his C minor Toccata the best of the four.

Toccata in D major BWV 912 - The D major might well be the most well known
of the seven Toccatas; it was the only one recorded by Wanda Landowska who
had great impact on Bach keyboard programming in the early part of the
1900's.  Interesting features of the D major include two fugues, one an
Adagio in F sharp minor and the other a gigue-like fugue.  Also, prior to
the F sharp minor fugue, there is a very long fantasia-like movement in
three sections - presto, allegro, and adagio.  With the exception of the
Adagio in F sharp minor and the following Presto which leads to the second
fugue, the mood of the D major Toccata is very playful and exudes a
youthful exuberance.

I haven't been thrilled with the sound of Tilney's harpsichord; it's rather
tinny and lacks depth.  I usually pay no attention to the harpsichord used,
but this time I notice that Tilney plays an anonymous Italian harpsichord
built in the 1700's.  It's a problem which a great artist can easily
overcome, but I'm not too confident that Tilney is in that category.
Anyways, Tilney handles the more serious sections of the D major
excellently with fine flow and purpose.  The exuberant and youthful
sections are a different matter.  Tilney just doesn't seem to want to
really bust out and dip into his youth.  His harpsichord is no help as it
decays too quickly.

Watchorn is wonderful throughout the D major.  He finds the eternal
fountain of youthful energy and milks it completely, providing infectious
performances with an eerie atmosphere to boot.  Watchorn is also superb
in the Adagio in F minor as he weaves a poignant spell over this listener.
Troeger is certainly an improvement over Tilney but can't match Watchorn
for youthful energy or excitement.  Also, he begins the Toccata in a rushed
manner.  Gould is as youthful as Watchorn but less exciting.  I should
caution that some of Gould's youthful displays might seem to some listeners
to be much too 'cute' and inappropriate.  Overall, it's Watchorn, then
Gould, Troeger, and Tilney.

Toccata in D minor BWV 913 - An introductory toccata, two adagios, and
two fugues make up the D minor.  The first adagio & fugue are in my opinion
the superior segments of the work.  This adagio is excellently played by
Hantai and Gould.  Hantai is on the slow side, and Gould is much slower
than Hantai.  As has been customary for Gould, he is superb in the adagio
with a mesmerizing reading of depth.  Tilney's first fugue is outstanding
with great urgency lacking in the other versions.  There's nothing
unfavorable about the Watchorn and Troeger performances; they just don't
rise to the top.

Update:  With three Toccatas remaining, I have enjoyed the Gould and
Watchorn performances more than the Tilney or Troeger issues.  Wathcorn's
D major is superb, and Gould continues to come up with some magical
Adagios.  I'm starting to think that Troeger's use of the clavichord
for these works is problematic.  Bach's Toccatas are not among his more
intimate or delicate compositions; they are somewhat brash and definitely
exuberant and youthful.  Regardless, I am finding Troeger's Toccatas
recordings less rewarding than his set of the Partitas for Harpsichord.

Don Satz
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