Presto Recording of the Week
27th January 2023

Radio 3 Record Review
11th February 2023
Record of the Week

András Schiff (clavichord)

Bach, J S: Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo, BWV992
Bach, J S: Two-part Inventions Nos. 1-15, BWV772-786
Bach, J S: Duets Nos. 1-4, BWV802-805
Bach, J S: Musical Offering, BWV1079. Ricercar a 3
Bach, J S: Three-part Inventions (Sinfonias) Nos. 1-15, BWV787-801
Bach, J S: Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, BWV903

After his landmark recording of some of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most important keyboard music, one of the great Bach interpreters of our time turns his attention to the composer’s preferred instrument. The sound of the clavichord is, says András Schiff, an invitation into “a new world, a quiet oasis in our noisy, troubled times. Thanks to the clavichord I now play and hear Bach differently.” An intimate and personal instrument – “a most gentle creature, ideal for playing alone” – it can also be, as Schiff notes, a demanding and unforgiving teacher. “On the clavichord we have only our fingers at our disposal, they must create the music with the finest gradations of touch.” The early keyboard works are emphasized here, bringing us closer to the sounds of Bach’s day, and the “cantabile art” of the clavichord. The album opens with the Capriccio sopra la lontananza del fratro dilettissmo, journeys through Inventions and Sinfonias, and concludes with an extraordinary account of the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue. On this recording, Schiff’s first on the clavichord, he plays a replica of a 1743 Specken instrument, built by Belgian craftsman Joris Potvlieghe. The album was recorded in the Kammermusik Saal of Bonn’s Beethoven-Haus and produced by Manfred Eicher.

"In many ways the clavichord’s tone is perfect for this kind of music – less harsh than the bright sound of the harpsichord, which can be difficult to adjust to, yet having enough of an attack to make polyphonic textures transparent and clear in a way that they might not be on the organ. It’s the best of both worlds – making some of the brisker numbers (the two-part inventions in D minor, F major and G major, for instance) really jump off the page." - David Smith, Presto Music, 27th January 2023.