Search - Bach, Kipnis :: Harpsichord Partitas #1 #2 #4

Fantastico

10/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These are as convincing performances of the solo partitas on harpsichord as I care to hear. Kipnis does marvelous justice to these pieces with the Baroque practice of embellishing repeats, often with highly creative and dramatic embellishments. It's a lot of fun to hear a piece like the Minuet from the first partita bare, then hear what he does with it the second time around. As far as the Partitas themselves go, every single movement from one and two is highly refined and elegant, probably a must in any music lover's collection. There are great allemandes, courantes/correntes and sarabandes (the slow movements) that are supposed to represent the national dances of the time, and a tense Rondeaux that leads into a stormy Capriccio to conclude the second partita. I don't listen to Partita 4 much but it has a great opening movement."

Harpsichord anyone?

Neal J. Pollock | VA USA | 11/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, go figure I'd give a 5 to a harpsichord CD? It's not even close to my favorite instrument (violin & flute top my list). But this is an impressive CD. I especially liked Partita 2--but it's all in the ear of the beholder, & I'm not at all putting down #1 or #4. So, my recommendation: try it out & see--especially when Amazon is good enough to let you try before you buy. It's worth your time."

Perfect Rhythm

John Hopfensperger | Midland, MI | 03/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The harpsichord lacks a piano's range of sounds and dynamics; a good interpretation on this instrument relies on well-implemented rubato -- and Kipnis' sense of rhythm is irreproachable. Indeed, after listening to this recording, most piano versions seem tame by comparison.



Though the harpsichord does not produce my favorite timbres (I generally do prefer the modern grand piano), the instrument which Kipnis plays actually has a couple of very nice registers, between which he switches to add some variety to these performances. The sound is very good analog: not demonstration quality, but perfectly acceptable. The performances themselves are true classics.

4.5 /5"