This 1978 recording by the then 25-year-old
András Schiff already showed the uniquely compelling quality of his
Bach playing, even if it did not have the rather scary level of detail he achieved with his landmark recording of the Goldberg Variations. As with that recording,
Schiff's readings of the Italian Concerto, BWV 971, the French Suite No. 5 in G, BWV 816, and the Partita in B minor, BWV 831, are unapologetically pianistic, with a fully gradated range of dynamics married to judicious use of tempo rubato. They are not quite the Romantic-individualist piano
Bach performances of
Glenn Gould, but they are fellow travelers on the same highway. It must be said that these particular works, with the dance movements in the suites and the nifty keyboard condensation of Italian orchestral terraced dynamics in the Italian Concerto, are less suited to piano performance than are other more abstract keyboard works of
Bach. The simple contrast between the two passepied sections in the Partita in B minor is overwrought by
Schiff into something that the score can't support. It must also be said, however, that
András Schiff is one of those rare instrumentalists who can hold the listener's attention, no matter what, with almost the first two or three notes he strikes on the keyboard. The intense drive of the Italian Concerto's outer movements is remarkable, and the hat-trick combination of originality, intellect, and technical chops that became
Schiff's trademark is on display throughout. If this reissue does not capture absolutely top-notch
András Schiff, it offers interesting
Bach performances for those who are new to the music and for those who have followed the career of this remarkable artist.