Bach : Concertos pour clavecin BWV 1052-1058

Description

Recently, Warner released an opulent box set compiling everything Zuzana Ruzickova had published of her Bach legacy with Erato, a near-complete collection of harpsichord works, with only Isolde Alghrimm's endeavor being more comprehensive, and it has remained so. The Concertos were missing, but here they are. As with the Erato catalog, Mahan Esfahani is the author of this resurrection, which he illuminates with a remarkable text. In the midst of the recording, which began in the euphoria of the Prague Spring, the Soviet invasion brought a tragic tone to the whole, of which the tense, anguished Concerto in D minor, never more D minor than here, is a testament. This density of phrasing, this harsh tone, this powerful and relentless gesture that Zuzana Ruzickova and Vaclav Neumann so eloquently regulate remains unmatched. But beyond the historical context, you will hear here a meticulously crafted interpretation, with a rare stylistic perfection for the time, Neumann composing his orchestra like a quartet, blending the timbres into the harpsichord: just listen to the beginning of the 6th Concerto with its two recorders. It is chamber music, where everything is heard, where the polyphonies shine, and to hell with the purists' criticisms; yes, Ruzickova plays an Ammer, yes, the strings are made of iron – but the flutes are more philological, expertly led by the Klement brothers. A certain idea of how we will now have to play Bach emerges, which makes this endeavor somewhat historic. To be able to hear this sum so perfectly reissued and documented is a real boon (Discophilia - Artalinna.com). (Jean-Charles Hoffelé)