Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Bernard Roberts :: Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books I & II

Arguably Best Ever 48 on record.

Laurence Goode | Santa Monica | 09/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is possibly the best ever performance of the WTC on record. Perhaps only Edwin Fisher or Ralph Kirkpatrick on harpsichord (LP, used only) is in the same league. Comparisons with them are not to his disadvantage either.
Owning over 50 performances of these pieces sometimes drives me crazy. Which one to listen to? However, this set immediately became my favorite. Direct communication of the holly spirit leaps off the keys with this set. In no other set is the voice and spirit of Bach more clearly related.
Comparisons with Hewitt show that Roberts possesses greater depth and coherence, with much more emotion. Compared to Schiff, which is wayward, heavy, lacks tension and momentum and stalls, and is unacceptable (D grade,) Roberts is direct, articulate, stylish and musical. For all you Gould fans, listen to this set to see how insensitive, lacking in depth, frustrating and ultimately, boring Gould is. Comparisons with Kirkpatrick on Clavichord in Book II are closer, though the still prefer Roberts for greater spirituality & inwardness. Compared to Landowska, who is romantic, heavy handed, wayward and perhaps lacking in depth & true understanding, Roberts is structurally clearer with greater sensitivity to Bachs's spirit. Gilbert, usually good, is just plain boring, dull, lifeless. Jarrett, technically perfect, is unmusical and sounds like a computer next to Roberts. No depth at all. Richter, typically, lacks depth and comprehension. Jando, romantic, lightweight, lacks any intensity at all. Tureck is great, almost matching Roberts in depth, but plays to slowly which can be problematic for some-Noisy recordings too. Roberts is tighter, playing with greater integrity, and still greater spirituallity.
Play this, then play any other after and you will see just how good Roberts is and just how great the work is."

Sublime Performances at a wonderful price!

09/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once again Nimbus Records goes the distance and gives us a boxed set of the complete Well Tempered Clavier with what can only be described as a sublime performance by Bernard Roberts, but at a price that can be afforded by many. If you already own a copy of his recording of the Complete Beethoven Sonatas then you will want to add this recording to your listening shelf. I would even go so far as to say that this recording can stand up to the ones by Gould and Schiff. The Performances and the price make it a clear first choice."

Very good indeed

Musicus | Oslo, Norway | 06/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lary Goode writes it all. I followed his advice and got this box.

Long time I've been searching for a good performance of the 48. First I tried Hewitt, convinced that she would do. Something, I don't know what, made me disappointed with her performance. Since I love Schiff's performance of the Goldberg Variations on ECM, I then felt sure that he would do the trick on the 48. I was wrong. Mostly he plays too slowly. Then I tried Tureck, the BBC Legend-performances, not the DG. There is some convincing Bach-feeling about Tureck's playing.

But these incredibly cheap recordings with Bernard Roberts are much better. For the first time I feel the first book as one unit, one concept. Roberts' playing is easily flowing, not without some ornamentation, but mostly quite pure. I guess my search stops here!"