Bach Performance on the Piano (featuring Angela Hewitt)
Image: Pianist Angela Hewitt © M. Yamanoue
There is nothing quite like the entrancing allure of Bach’s keyboard compositions, with their mathematical precision and deceptively simple charm and profound emotional evocations. Bach’s keyboard compositions (written for the harpsichord but adapted for piano in later years) were designed to provide his students with exercises to improve musical elements such as rhythm, phrasing and touch. Yet they can be (and are) enjoyed as pleasant listening in and of themselves. They are, for pianists, what Marconi’s exercises or Handel and early Italian arias are for singers: a means of honing technique.
In this double DVD, Canadian born pianist Angela Hewitt talks us through a number of pieces, outlining the skills they require, and offering advice. This is not only invaluable for students of the piano (or indeed any instrument, as her musicianship is, not surprisingly, outstanding), but it is also fascinating to audiences who enjoy watching Ms Hewitt in concert, or listening to her recordings, or indeed anyone with an interest in Bach. Her pleasant face and voice, coupled with her enchanting renditions at the piano, make for delightful viewing. She conveys a serenity which I rather fancy is the result of having perfected the demands of Bach’s work sufficiently to let the experience of performing his work wash over her, as it does with the audience.
The second DVD features a recital performance of Bach’s Partita No.4 in D major, the Italian Concerto in F major, and an admirably dexterous delivery of the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor. It’s not difficult to see why Ms Hewitt is considered to be a leading exponent of Bach’s music for keyboard.
Of course, the joy of DVDs like this is that they aren’t solely for viewing. Perhaps, like this viewer, you might like to pop the DVDs into your computer DVD player, and enjoy the sound of her lectures and performance, as you tap away at the keyboard. It’s a most wonderful experience! A poetic touch is added by the setting of the lecture: at Fazioli Pianoforti factory in Sacile, Italy.
For those who had the pleasure to see her in concert last year, this is an ideal keepsake. For the rest of us, it’s a sweet reminder of what we missed, but can thankfully now enjoy.
Incidentally, in case you’re not aware of it already, there is also a Hyperion recording of Ms Hewitt performing The Well-Tempered Clavier available for purchase (Hyperion CDS44291/4) as well as a compilation of Bach Keyboard Concertos (Hyperion CDA 67607/8). How is this relevant? Trust me: after you’ve watched these DVDs, you’ll want to hear more.