Young Israeli pianist
Edna Stern has already recorded one album of what might be called extreme
Bach arrangements, called Chaconne. This group of preludes and fugues, together with chorale-based pieces by
Bach and (in a mysteriously single case)
Brahms, is in its way even more extreme than the earlier release, in that
Stern is mostly playing
Bach's own notes. The three
Bach chorales appear in arrangements by
Ferruccio Busoni, and it is
Busoni that provides the model for
Stern's playing even where he is not present. It's not just that
Stern plays a modern piano. The preludes and fugues of The Well-Tempered Clavier, for her, each have their own particular moods, calling forth an entirely different pianistic approach. Tempo is flexible; articulation is varied and often luxuriously legato; the pedal is more or less constantly in action.
Bach hasn't been played like this since the days of Russian pianist Samuil Feinberg, who perhaps was part of or close to
Stern's pianistic family tree. One thing
Stern adds to the style is an emphasis on bass lines, giving the music an organ-like texture. Is it
Bach? Only partially; the rest of it is the Romantic adoration of the Baroque. Is it compellingly musical? Depends on your perspective. Plunge in anywhere to sample and determine whether you're on this remarkable young artist's wavelength. The Zig Zag Territoires label's studio sound captures every smear of
Stern's pedals.