JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
Hyperion Records CDA 67191/2
The Partitas show how Bach took the standard keyboard suite and made it into something uniquely his own. With the release of this CD back in 1997, Angela Hewitt’s career began to really take off.
‘Effortlessly eclipsing all competition’ (Gramophone)
‘Pouvait-on imaginer Bach aussi lumineux, brillant? … Un exercice ‘parfait’, à écouter et à réécouter pour en savourer toute la puissance, toute l’éloquence (Répertoire, France)
‘For this pair of discs only superlatives will do.’ (Soundscapes, Australia)
COMPACT DISC 1 (70’49)
Partita No 1 in B flat major BWV825 (17’56)
1. ludium (1’49)
2. Allemande (3’04)
3. Corrente (3’13)
4. Sarabande (4’32)
5. Menuet I – Menuet II – Menuet I da capo (3’08)
6. Giga (2’10)
Partita No 2 in C minor BWV826 (20’14)
7. Sinfonia: Grave adagio – Andante – (Allegro) (4’44)
8. Allemande (4’27)
9. Courante (2’28)
10. Sarabande (3’16)
11. Rondeaux (1’39)
12. Capriccio (3’40)
Partita No 4 in D major BWV828 (32’27)
13. Ouverture – (Allegro) (6’37)
14. Allemande (8’35)
15. Courante (3’42)
16. Aria (2’17)
17. Sarabande (5’47)
18. Menuet (1’31)
19. Gigue (3’58)
COMPACT DISC 2 (72’33)
Partita No 3 in A minor BWV827 (18’52)
Fantasia (2’04)
Allemande (2’57)
Corrente (3’09)
Sarabande (3’56)
Burlesca (2’17)
Scherzo (1’10)
Gigue (3’19)
Partita No 5 in G major BWV829 (20’47)
Praeambulum (2’17)
Allemande (4’01)
Corrente (1’54)
Sarabande (4’58)
Tempo di Minuetta (1’42)
Passepied (1’53)
Gigue (4’02)
Partita No 6 in E minor BWV830 (32’38)
Toccata – (Fugue) (7’18)
Allemande (3’27)
Corrente (4’48)
Air (1’34)
Sarabande (7’24)
Tempo di Gavotta (2’03)
Gigue (6’04)
Astonishingly, the Six Partitas for Clavier were the first works Bach published – after more than twenty years of composing. His ‘Opus 1’ (as he called it) was ‘offered to music lovers in order to refresh their spirits’ and the works scored an immediate hit, becoming core repertoire for keyboard players both professional and amateur.
‘Partita’ is simply another name for a suite of dance movements, and each of these collections combines grace, agility and sprightliness with a nobleness of spirit. Angela Hewitt’s background as a dancer gives her the edge when projecting the varied dance rhythms in these pieces.
Recorded in the Beethovensaal, Hannover, on 24-26 June 1996 (CD1) and 6-8 January 1997 (CD2)
For online sales in Canada, please go to: http://angelahewitt.ca
