Bach - 6 Partitas, Bwv 825-830 - Schiff 2cd (flac)

Bach - 6 Partitas, Bwv 825-830 - Schiff 2cd (flac)
Piano | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 2 CD, 408 MB
June 12, 2007 | Decca | RapidShare

The Partitas, BWV 825–830, are a set of six harpsichord suites written by Johann Sebastian Bach, published from 1726 to 1730 as Clavier-Übung I, and the first of his works to be published. They were among the last of his keyboard suites to be composed, the others being the 6 English Suites, BWV 806-811 and the 6 French Suites, BWV 812-817.
These six suites for keyboard are the last set that Bach composed and the most technically demanding of the three. They were composed between 1725 and 1730 or 1731. As with the French and English Suites, the manuscript of the Partitas is no longer existent.
In keeping with a nineteenth century naming tradition that labelled Bach's first set of Suites English and the second French, the Partitas are often referred to as the German Suites. This title, however, is a publishing convenience; there is nothing particularly German about the Partitas. In comparison with the two earlier sets of suites, the Partitas are by far the most free-ranging in terms of structure. Unlike the English Suites, for example, which open with a strict prelude, the Partitas feature a number of different opening styles including an ornamental Overture and a Toccata.
While each of the Partitas was published separately, they were collected into a single volume (1731), known as the Clavier-Übung I (Keyboard Practice), which Bach himself chose to label his Opus 1. Unlike the earlier sets of suites, Bach originally intended to publish seven Partitas, advertising in the Spring of 1730 upon the publication of the fifth Partita that the promised collected volume would contain two more such pieces. This intention is further signalled by the spread of keys, which follows a clear structure, B-Flat - c, a - D, G - e, leaving F as the logical conclusion. The Italian Concerto, which is in the key of F and was published in the Clavier-Übung II, likely originated therefore as one of the Partitas before expanding beyond the dictates of the Suite form.


When it came time for Johann Sebastian Bach to publish his Opus 1, what work do you think he picked? One of the sacred cantatas? One of the Brandenburg Concertos? One of the cello suites? No, none of the above. In 1726, Bach chose his B flat major Partita to start his publishing career -- and once a year for the next five years, he published five more partitas, then collected them under the title Clavier-Übung in 1731.

When it came time for Hungarian pianist András Schiff to make his major-label debut, what work do you think he picked? Yes, that's right. In 1985, Schiff released his recording of the complete partitas -- and followed it with many more Bach recordings over the next few years until he'd released nearly the complete canonical works by 1996.

And yes, Schiff's partitas are wonderful. Schiff has an elegant technique that never draws attention to itself no matter how knotty the notes, a graceful tone that always concentrates on the lyricism no matter how thick the counterpoint, and the consummate taste to know exactly how to place an accent, turn an appoggiatura, bend a phrase, and inflect a rhythm to make the music wholly his own without making it any less Bach's. In short, if you want Bach's partitas played on the piano, Schiff is your man. Reissued in 2007, Decca's early digital sound somehow seems warmer and richer than it did in 1985.

András Schiff emerged in the last decades of the twentieth century as one of the most respected pianists of his generation. After studies with Elisabeth Vadasz, Schiff made his debut at the age of nine. At 14 Schiff began formal studies at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where he studied with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtag, and Ferenc Rados; later, he studied with British conductor and keyboard player George Malcolm in London.

Schiff came to international prominence as a prizewinner in the 1974 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow; over the next few years, he also took top honors at the Leeds and Liszt Competitions, launching him on a successful concert and recording career. After a series of recordings for the Hungarian label Hungaroton, Schiff made a recording -- as an accompanist for Hungarian soprano Sylvia Sass -- for Decca. That recording's producer, Christopher Raeburn, was so impressed by Schiff's musicianship that he engaged the pianist for a project to record the Mozart piano sonatas then missing from Decca's catalogue. The results were so outstanding that Decca continued the series until Schiff produced the label's first integral set of Mozart sonatas. As a Decca/London artist, Schiff also recorded the complete Mozart piano concertos, much of the composer's chamber music, and many of the keyboard works of J.S. Bach. The last are a cornerstone of Schiff¹s recorded repertory; they are uniformly excellent and especially notable for their clean delineation of Bach's contrapuntal textures. In tandem with his work in the studio, Schiff has pursued a concert career that includes appearances with the world's major orchestras and conductors. On the recital stage, he has successfully collaborated with such notables as Gidon Kremer, Yuuko Shiokawa (who became his wife), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Heinz Holliger, Peter Serkin, Peter Schreier, Robert Holl, and Cecilia Bartoli. In the late 1990s, he added conducting to his list of talents, frequently conducting from the keyboard in concerto concerts. In order to perform all of Mozart's piano concertos in Salzburg over a period of seven years, he formed his own ensemble, Cappella Andrea Barca, in 1999.

Schiff's playing has been singled out for its complete technical fluency and intelligent musicality; in addition to the composers mentioned above, he is especially well known for his performances of Beethoven, Schubert, Bartók, Debussy, and Ravel. Among his post-competition honors are a Grammy Award (1989) and Hungary's highest artistic distinction, the Kossuth Prize (1996). In the 1990s he became a Teldec Artist; his recordings for the label include works by Handel, Brahms, Reger, Haydn, and Hungarian composer Sándor Veress. After leaving Teldec he joined ECM, for whom he has made several recordings of Beethoven sonatas.


CD1 Tracks:
01 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Praeludium (02:05)
02 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Allemande (02:56)
03 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Courante (02:53)
04 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Sarabande (04:35)
05 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Menuet #1 (01:21)
06 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Menuet #2 (01:26)
07 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #1 In B Flat, BWV 825 - Gigue (02:14)
08 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #2 In C Minor, BWV 826 - Sinfonia (04:40)
09 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #2 In C Minor, BWV 826 - Allemande (04:22)
10 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #2 In C Minor, BWV 826 - Courante (02:09)
11 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #2 In C Minor, BWV 826 - Sarabande (03:00)
12 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #2 In C Minor, BWV 826 - Rondeau (01:42)
13 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #2 In C Minor, BWV 826 - Capriccio (03:25)
14 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #6 In E Minor, BWV 830 - Toccata (07:38)
15 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #6 In E Minor, BWV 830 - Allemande (03:47)
16 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #6 In E Minor, BWV 830 - Corrente, Air (06:28)
17 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #6 In E Minor, BWV 830 - Sarabande (06:10)
18 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #6 In E Minor, BWV 830 - Tempo Di Gavotta (02:14)
19 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #6 In E Minor, BWV 830 - Gigue (06:02)

CD 2 Tracks:
01 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #3 In A Minor, BWV 827 - Fantasia (01:53)
02 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #3 In A Minor, BWV 827 - Allemande (02:57)
03 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #3 In A Minor, BWV 827 - Corrente (02:48)
04 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #3 In A Minor, BWV 827 - Sarabande, Burlesca (05:27)
05 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #3 In A Minor, BWV 827 - Scherzo (01:03)
06 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #3 In A Minor, BWV 827 - Gigue (03:03)
07 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Overture (06:05)
08 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Allemande (08:04)
09 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Courante (03:26)
10 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Aria (02:18)
11 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Sarabande (05:50)
12 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Menuet (01:35)
13 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #4 In D, BWV 828 - Gigue (03:43)
14 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Praeambulum (02:10)
15 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Allemande (04:08)
16 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Corrente (01:32)
17 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Sarabande (04:04)
18 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Tempo Di Minuetto (02:36)
19 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Passepied (01:43)
20 - András Schiff - Bach: Keyboard Partita #5 In D, BWV 829 - Gigue (03:59)