Notes and Editorial Reviews
MUSIC OF TRIBUTE—J. S. BACH
•
Beatrice Berthold (pn)
•
LABOR 7079 (76:44)
BACH
Preludes: in e,
BWV 941;
in C,
BWV 939;
in c,
BWV 999.
Fugue in C,
BWV 953.
Little Preludes: in F,
BWV 927;
in C,
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BWV 924;
in D,
BWV 925.
Prelude and Fugue in D,
BWV 874.
Italian Concerto,
BWV 971.
DUTILLEUX
Au gré des ondes: Hommage à Bach.
HONEGGER
Prelude, Arioso, and Fughetta on the Name of Bach.
GODOWSKY
Prelude and Fugue (B.A.C.H.).
VILLA-LOBOS
Bachianas brasileiras No. 4.
POULENC
Valse-improvisation on the Name of Bach.
BARTÓK
Mikrokosmos III:
Hommage à J. S. B.
KURTÁG
Games, Vol. 3:
Hommage à J. S. B.
RILEY
G Song.
SHOSTAKOVICH
Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in d
This is volume five in a series from Labor Records that juxtaposes the music of the “tribute” dedicatee (here J. S. Bach) with music that purports to be related by theme or other sort of dedication. The previous first three volumes have all been covered in
Fanfare
, to favorable comments: Villa-Lobos (25:4), Debussy (25:5), and Fauré (28:5). The fourth volume, dedicated to Scarlatti, apparently missed these pages. Each features a different pianist and a slightly different concept as to what constitutes a tribute.
In this case, we have a number of pieces by Bach that, strangely enough, might not actually be by the composer, which might make the premise a little shaky. Be that as it may (and the questionable works will always be by Bach to me), it is remarkable how well this music melds with the others, all from the 20th century. But Dutilleux’s “Hommage à Bach” from
Au gré des onde
seems to be lifted directly from the last bars of the proceeding Prelude in E Minor, and even composers as disparate as Bartók, Kurtág (whose nine-second homage offers little more than a skipped heartbeat), and Terry Riley, coming three-in-a-row, fit as naturally between the Preludes in C and D as ham and cheese on rye.
Of the meatier pieces here, I should mention that Berthold’s
Italian Concerto
is about as fine as I hope to hear, her
Bachianas brasileiras No. 4
stunning in its rhythmic elasticity, and the one Shostakovich Prelude completely in the spirit of the Russian master’s love of polyphony. Her piano sounds warm and vibrant in its concert-hall acoustic, and I found this mix-and-match to be wonderfully entertaining and enlightening if not overly profound in meaning. A fine hour and change delightfully spent awaits you.
FANFARE: Steven E. Ritter
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Works on This Recording
1.
Prelude in E minor, BWV 941 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
2.
Prelude in C major, BWV 939 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
3.
Prelude for Lute in C minor, BWV 999 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1720; Cöthen, Germany
4.
Fugue in C major, BWV 953 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1723
5.
Praeambulum in F major, BWV 927 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: after 1720; Cöthen, Germany
6.
Prelude in C major, BWV 924 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: after 1720; Cöthen, Germany
7.
Prelude in D major, BWV 925 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
8.
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue no 5 in D major, BWV 874 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: 1738-1742; Leipzig, Germany
9.
Italian Concerto, BWV 971 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: 1735; Leipzig, Germany
10.
Prelude, Arioso and Fughetta on B-A-C-H by Arthur Honegger
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932; France
11.
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H for left hand by Leopold Godowsky
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: USA
12.
Valse-improvisation on the name of Bach for Piano by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932; France
13.
Bachianas brasileiras no 4 for Piano by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1930-1936; Brazil
14.
Mikrokosmos, Sz 107: Book 3, no 79, Hommage ŕ J.S. Bach by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926-1939; Budapest, Hungary
15.
Hommage ŕ Bach by György Kurtág
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: Hungary
16.
G-Song by Terry Riley
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1981; USA
17.
Preludes and Fugues (24) for Piano, Op. 87: no 24 in D minor by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:
Beatrice Berthold (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1950-1951; USSR
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