Rosalyn Tureck II: Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol. 94

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Rosalyn Tureck (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Rosalyn Tureck
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (July 20, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B00000JNQB
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,278 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Aria

2. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation I. a 1 Clav.

3. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation II. a 1 Clav.

4. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation III. Canone all'Unisono a 1 Clav.

5. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation IV. a 1 Clav.

6. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation V. a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.

7. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation VI. Canone alla Seconda a 1 Clav.

8. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation VII. a 1 ovvero 2 Clav. Al tempo di Giga

9. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation VIII. a 2 Clav.

10. 'Goldberg' Variations, BWV 988 (Klavierubung IV): Variation IX. Canone alla Terza a 1 Clav.

See all 26 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. 'Goldberg' Variations: Variation XXVI. a 2 Clav.

2. 'Goldberg' Variations: Variation XXVII. Canone alla Nona a 2 Clav.

3. 'Goldberg' Variations: Variation XXVIII. a 2 Clav.

4. 'Goldberg' Variations: Variation XXIX. a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.

5. 'Goldberg' Variations: Variation XXX. Quodlibet a 1 Clav.

6. 'Goldberg' Variations: Aria

7. French Overture (Partita) In B Minor, BWV 831 (From: Klavierubung II): 1. Ouverture

8. French Overture (Partita) In B Minor, BWV 831 (From: Klavierubung II): 2. Courante

9. French Overture (Partita) In B Minor, BWV 831 (From: Klavierubung II): 3. Gavotte I & II

10. French Overture (Partita) In B Minor, BWV 831 (From: Klavierubung II): 4. Passepied I & II

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Ever since a New York Times critic labeled Rosalyn Tureck the "high priestess of Bach," the epithet has stuck. It seems appropriate on several levels at once: not just for the sense of ritual that emerges from Tureck's interpretations--which can give the impression of a medium making contact--but in the cultlike devotion the Chicago-born pianist has inspired over a very long career, beginning as a prodigy in the '30s. Curiously enough, the young Tureck was also an exponent of modern music, and in 1930 actually premiered Léon Thérémin's electronic keyboard in Carnegie Hall. But it's with the music of Bach that Tureck has become inextricably linked, preserving her unique approach to this composer against the tides of fashion as well as the juggernaut of the "historically informed performance" movement--including her conviction of the validity of performing Bach's keyboard works on the piano (in one famous Carnegie Hall concert, she gave the entire Goldberg Variations twice, on harpsichord and then on piano).

The Goldberg Variations may well be the ultimate Tureck touchstone; of the six commercial recordings she's made throughout her career (the most recent was taped in 1997), this account was made in the Abbey Road Studios in 1957 and may well be her most compelling. Despite the tape hiss, the late '50s--when the other recordings here were made as well--are vintage Tureck years. The quintessential vision--with the trademark slow tempos that can make time seem to stand still, the wondrous clarity of line, the deep focus of mind--is all there, as well as Tureck's sparkling, exquisite pointing and amazing independence of hands. It's less surprising than it might seem at first that Tureck's polar opposite, Glenn Gould, prized her interpretations so highly. And while it may come across as too mannered--or even pedantic--to latter-day listeners, Tureck's patience bears fruit in the most inward of the variations and, most impressive, in the aria's return--in her own words, "one of the most sublime moments in all music." The set includes beautifully marbled accounts of the Partita BWV 831 and duets from the Klavierübung, as well as an exuberant realization of the Italian Concerto in F. These are performances to savor over and over. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very special, November 29, 2005

By 

Bach lover (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosalyn Tureck II: Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol. 94 (Audio CD)

Rosalyn Tureck's playing here is quintessentially measured and impeccably controlled. This allows many special moments to shine through. The canons in the Goldberg Variations are particularly gentle yet rigorous, especially the minor-key ones. The transfer from the bleak Variation 21 to the sublimely joyful Variation 22, for instance, gains great unshakeability from her methodical and perfectionist stance. This is not her fastest recording of the Goldbergs - her 1979 recording on VAI has a little more kinetic thrill in Variations 14 and 26, for example - but this recording combines technical perfection with an all-encompassing joy in the music as it unfolds.

The remaining pieces are contrasting but also excellent. The B minor Partita begins with the sort of dotted French Overture that Tureck excels in, and the remaining movements are similarly commanding. She exacts great pathos from the Sarabande, while the Gavotte, Passepied and Bourrée are commendably dance-like and arresting. In the closing Echo, Tureck makes the most of Bach's explicit dynamic contrasts - rare in his output - for an exciting close. I haven't heard a more compelling recording of this long and somewhat disparate work.

The Italian Concerto has boisterous if somewhat heavy outer movements, while the central Andante exhibits Tureck's rich ornamentation and sense of line.

The Duets, rarely recorded, are here given a fairly definitive interpretation which manages to combine contrapuntal rigour with ear-opening textures, especially in the arresting harmonies of No. 4.

Altogether a wonderful exhibition of Tureck's art at possibly its most austere stage - but nevertheless captivating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Re: Extraordinary, September 30, 2010

By 

R. Kunath (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosalyn Tureck II: Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol. 94 (Audio CD)

The Amazon review by Thomas May is excellent and my words in some sense are superfluous (and the other Amazon customer reviews are first-rate too). I'm writing simply to say that you might find something very special in this recording of the Goldberg Variations. I've long loved Bach on the piano, and I've had Gould's Goldbergs since the early 80s, supplemented along the way by Schiff, Hewitt, Dinnerstein, Landowska (on that massive Pleyel harpsichord), and Perahia, all of whom have brought me a lot of pleasure. Rosalyn Tureck wasn't even on my radar until a dear friend, now deceased, loaned me this recording. I listened once, distractedly, and wasn't especially impressed. But then I listened again late one night, and Tureck's performance just opened up for me in a way that I've rarely experienced with any other recording. Tureck was called "The High Priestess of Bach," and that's as much a warning as an honor: there is a sense of the sacral in this recording, and I can well imagine that many Bach lovers will find it intolerably mannered. Angela Hewitt (whose Bach recordings I admire very much) remarked that it took her a long time to appreciate Tureck's Bach because it just seemed "too lugubrious." So be warned: everything that's said about the slow tempi is right. As you listen to the opening Aria--which goes on for an incredible 6:06--you may be inclined to laugh. All I can say is that Tureck's recording opened a new world of Bach for me. The slow tempi and the restrained dynamics create an achingly beautiful study in shades of grey that is filled with a magical, rapt intensity. If you listen to this in the background, during the day, it won't make an impression. Play it at night, in semi-darkness, with a glass of wine, and I think there's at least an even chance you'll be spellbound. I'm so grateful to my friend John for helping me to discover Tureck's amazing artistry.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great pianist, great pieces, August 22, 2000

By 

"sondheimfan" (Albert Park, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosalyn Tureck II: Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol. 94 (Audio CD)

This recording is entitled "Great Pianists of the 20th Century," and that is the only way to describe Rosalyn Tureck's poised, measured and yet brilliantly executed performance of the Bach Goldberg Variations, some of the most time-honored music ever written for the instrument, by a great master of the style, Johann Sebastian Bach. There's really nothing more to say...everything on this recording is, well, great!