Capriccio in B flat major, BWV 992 - Judged by the infrequency of
recordings, this work is not one that the typical Bach enthusiast loves.
But I love it dearly.  It's a heart-felt piece of music with a strong
element of heroism.  Joseph Banowetz on Naxos gives my favorite piano
performance; he provides great depth, heroism, and poetry; my only
reservation is the concluding fugue section where I would prefer a more
fluid delivery.  Suzuki, on BIS and harpsichord, presents a knock-out
of a performance.  His harpsichord is exquisitely delicate yet strongly
projected.  Suzuki seems like he's inside the music totally.  If I had a
beloved brother, I'd want Suzuki's version at the farewell.

Hewitt's opening Arioso just isn't as beautifully packaged and doesn't
flow as well as in the Banowetz version.  However, the following Andante
is revelatory with its fantastic pacing, accenting, and urgency.  The
central Adagissimo is gorgeous in Hewitt's hands.  The supreme heroism
in the Aria di postiglione is well displayed by Hewitt, but she shortens
some note values through use of a mild staccato; this decision is not to
my liking.  Heroism and triumph are prevalent in the concluding fugue, but
as in the Banowetz version, a more fluid delivery would be appreciated.

For BWV 992, Hewitt gives a fine performance, almost up to the level of
Banowetz.  However, there are a couple of blots which take it out of
Suzuki's league.

The Capriccio in E major, BWV 993 is even less frequent a resident on
recordings than the B flat major.  I can understand its relative neglect;
the work has no wonderful melody lines.  However, it does have great
momentum and vitality; also, it's very interesting to listen to the
interplay of voices.  Hewitt provides all this in full measure.  She keeps
momentum strong and is appropriately demonstrative and quite exciting.  I
like Suzuki's version very much but Hewitt's is better as it has greater
poetry and excitement.

Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971 - Hewitt's DG performances are fine
in the outer movements and there's likely no better Andante than the one
from Hewitt which is so conversational.  I also listened to the Gould and
Banowetz versions which are also excellent.  The new offering from Hewitt
isn't quite as good as the previous effort due to an Andante which is not
as fluid or stunning.  The outer movements are very rewarding, particularly
the third movement which has great drive and excitement.

Don's Conclusions - Angela Hewitt's new Bach recital disc is superfluous
if you already have her DG recording.  First, the newer versions of the
Italian Concerto and the Four Duets present no improvement over the earlier
performances.  Most important, the items new to Hewitt's discography are
not particularly distinguished except for the Capriccio BWV 993, and there
isn't much competition for this work.

For those not having the DG issue, the Hyperion is a worthy acquisition.
But this disc is not as fine as her WTC sets or Goldberg Variations.
Overall, the performances are not as fluid as those of the best versions
or Hewitt herself when she's at her most compelling.  My head tells me
that she doesn't clip notes on the new disc, but my heart says otherwise.
I could have compared her readings to others which are worthy and not much
more, but that's not my regimen.  I always seek out the best alternatives
from my viewpoint, and that's especially significant when the artist is
highly touted.  It leads to the question of whether the raves are
warranted.  In Hewitt's case, sometimes they are warranted.  However, her
recital disc is not in that category.  I'm going to be attending a Hewitt
concert in May and will report back to the List with my thoughts.  I'm
going to be very disappointed if she plays little or no Bach, but reports
are that she abandons him at some of her concerts.  I have my fingers
crossed.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]