Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Peter Serkin :: Bach: Inventions & Sinfonias

Contrary to the previous review

Ms. Nancy L. Maynard | Woodbridge, Virginia | 06/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Gorgeous sound and musicianship

Erik D. LOFQUIST | Shoreline, WA | 07/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

This is a great CD.

Nathan Robinson | Phat Bojee | 07/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."