[.ca] Bach: Inventions; Sinfonia; Duets

From Amazon.com:
If Peter Serkin's four Goldberg Variations recordings reveal a lifelong affinity for Bach on the concert grand, one suspects his approach to the Inventions has similarly been well-tempered and seasoned over the years. Compared to Glenn Gould's rhythmic vigor and Andras Schiff's fleeter, more spontaneously conceived readings, Serkin's eloquent understatement may appear impersonal and even bland. Repeated hearings, however, uncover felicities of voice leading and dynamic terracing, as well pianist's warm, singing legato achieved purely by hand balance and fingering, with no aid from the pedal. While the virtues of Gould and Schiff should not be discounted, Serkin sweetens the ante, adding on the four Duets from the Clavierubung. Sonics are first class. --Jed Distler

This is a great CD.:
After years of hacking through these pieces on the piano, and then a few more years studying them in college classes...I guess I developed a fondness for them. So, I wanted to get a recording that summed up why I loved them so much. Don't be angry, but the Gould just didn't do it for me. I was very impressed with Serkin's performances of Takemitsu and Messiaen, so I was glad to find this cd. It's great...I'd say perfect (although I'm not a Bach scholar...am I?). The tempos are great. There is this subtlety to it...the notes just kind of "dance" out of the speakers and into your ears. Nice.

Serkin - why would anyone buy this one?:
Serkin falls short of both vigor and elegance and presents a bland and bloodless Bach. I would advice you to avoid young Peter (papa Rudolf is in another league, sorry), and instead listen to Glenn Gould or Andras Schiff, depending on your preferences. Gould is the master virtuoso (and eccentric), and Schiff the elegant baroquist. Perhaps there is a sutleness in Peter's playing, but I just can't seem to find it. One star.

I don't think so.:
Comparing Peter Serkin to Glenn Gould is like comparing your high school baseball team to the New York Yankees. They're in completely different leagues.

Gorgeous sound and musicianship:
The extreme disparity of the reviews here is probably indication enough that this is a recording worth buying and studying. Serkin is consistently one of the most subtle and insightful musicians active today, and Bach is the perfect showcase for his talents. Listeners seeking a cheap thrill will be disappointed with this disc; the more thoughtful will discover a bottomless well of seamless phrasing, singing tone in the cello register, and voicing of a subtlety that is nearly impossible to achieve. There is a pervasive calm in Serkin's playing that can be mistaken for apathy; however, it is passionate in the sense that a Palestrina motet, for example, is passionate. Gould's more zippy reading actually feels more emotionally detached. As for Schiff, well, sorry, he's the definition of bland. To the reviewer who would bash Peter with the spectre of his famous father -- shame on you! Just call him, say, Peter Johnson, and give it another listen. They are very different artists and personalities, but both brilliant. Kudos to the engineering team on this disc. The recorded sound is mindblowingly gorgeous. This Manhattan studio sounds more like St.John the Divine.

Contrary to the previous review:
After seeing this trashed in the previous review I got curious and bought it. Personally I loved the Goldberg Variations Serkin put out a few years ago. I also have several of Gould's Bach recordings and I have the Bach Preludes by Schiff which I like pretty well, although I find Schiff somewhat unremarkable. I can listen to them all - however when I listen to Serkin's I feel like I'm listening to Bach. When I listen to Glenn Gould, hey I am listening to Glenn Gould (with maybe a little Bach thrown in)! His (Gould's) brilliant technique gets in the way of the feeling of the music somehow. I guess it depends on whether you prefer Glenn Gould or Bach. I prefer Bach. I think Serkin gets a raw deal because his father was a famous pianist. Listen to the way he characterizes the lower parts in a different type of "voice" than the higher parts. A subtle technique that is very hard to master, and I don't hear that in Gould. This technique of Serkin's illustrates the use of counterpoint which is the cornerstone of Bach's musical universe. This is a great album if you like Bach on the piano.

• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 1In C Major, BWV 772
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 773
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 3 In D Major, BWV 774
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 4 In D minor, BWV 775
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 5 In E-Flat Major, BWV 776
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 6 In E Major, BWV 777
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 7 In E Minor, BWV 778
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 8 In F Major, BWV 779
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 9 In F Minor, BWV 780
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 10 In G Major, BWV 781
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 11 In G Minor, BWV 782
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 12 In A Major, BWV 783
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 13 In A Minor, BWV 784
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 14 In B-Flat Major, BWV 785
• 15 Inventions, BWV 772-786: Invention No. 15, In B Minor, BWV 786
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 1In C Major, BWV 787
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 788
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 3 In D Major, BWV 789
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 4 In D Minor, BWV 790
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 5 In E-Flat Major, BWV 791
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 6 In E Major, BWV 792
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 7 In E Minor, BWV 793
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 8 In F Major, BWV 794
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 9 In F Minor, BWV 795
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 10 In G Major, BWV 796
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 11 In G Minor, BWV 797
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 12 In A Major, BWV 798
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 13 In A Minor, BWV 799
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 14 In B-Flat Major, BWV 800
• 15 Sinfonias, BWV 787-801: Sinfonia No. 15 In B Minor, BWV 801
• 4 Duets, BWV 802-805: Duet No. 1 In E Minor, BWV 802
• 4 Duets, BWV 802-805: Duet No. 2 In F Major, BWV 803
• 4 Duets, BWV 802-805: Duet No. 3 In G Major, BWV 804
• 4 Duets, BWV 802-805: Duet No. 4 In A Minor, BWV 805