Taking a break from overrated composers, unappreciated composers, how to
define music and is there any point to it, and if there's any point in
listening to Cage, I'll move on with two more preludes and fugues from
Schepkin's WTC, Book I.

Prelude in F-sharp - Many of the families on a fine Saturday afternoon are
gathered at the bandstand for an afternoon of music and food.  Serenity is
the prevailing atmosphere of the day.  The children are playing vigorously
but feeling happy and content.  Adults are sitting on their blankets,
soaking up the Spring sun, and saturated with warmth.  There's a
playfulness in the music which Schepkin conveys beautifully.  *4*

Fugue in F-sharp - It's early evening, the concert is over, and Grandpa is
relaxing on the veranda.  The grandchildren have all come over, and Grandpa
will get no rest.  That's fine with him.  He loves every one of them and
is always glad to have their company.  They ask him all kinds of questions
and get him to play a few games with them.  As the children leave for home,
he feels a strong sense of continuity.  This is what life is all about.
Schepkin is superb.  The sense of continuity, intimate interaction, and
nostalgia is very strong.  *4*

Prelude in F-sharp minor - There's a prison break taking place - through
the sewerage pipe, 4 miles of swamp, then 50 miles to the Gulf where a
fishing boat is hopefully waiting.  These five prisoners have spent months
planning their escape and a temporary bond has been established among them.
But, confidence is low as they make their way through the pipe; each one
knows that they are proverbial losers and that things usually don't go
their way.  Schepkin does well in conveying the sense of bonding, danger,
and panic.  But, I would have preferred a more ominous aura.  *3*

Fugue in F-sharp minor - They've been lost in the swamp for four days.
Food and drinking water are dangerously low.  The have an assortment of
injuries which renders their forward motion negligible.  Hope is running
out, and all of them are lying on the ground, all energy a past reflection.
They never get up.  This is dispiriting music, the "all is lost" type.
And Schepkin gets it just right.  *4*

As you've probably noticed, I find many extremes of emotions in the WTC.
They range from the heights of life fulfilled and shared to the absolute
bottom of the barrel, physically and emotionally.  Usually, when I hear
these extremes in music, it's very upfront and over-the-top. Not with
Bach.  His subtlety, shading, and nobility does not allow for highly overt
posturings.  The listener has to dig deep into the music to reap the
rewards, and the rate of return can be exponential.

Don Satz
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