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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Angela Hewitt - Bach Performance on the Piano

Angela Hewitt (piano)
2CDs DVD — DeletedThis album is not available for download
Label: Hyperion
Recording details: January 2007
Fazioli Pianoforti, Sacile, Italy
Produced by Nico Heinrich & Ludger Böckenhoff
Engineered by Uli Aumüller
Release date: March 2008
Total duration: 206 minutes 44 seconds

Cover artwork: Photo of Angela Hewitt by Peter Hundert.
 

Angela Hewitt shares the inspiration and experience behind her award-winning playing in an illustrated lecture that explains the technical and practical steps essential for performing Bach on the piano.

Angela Hewitt is a phenomenal artist who has established herself at the highest level over the last few years not least through her superb, award-winning recordings for Hyperion. Completed in 2005, her eleven-year project to record all the major keyboard works of Bach has been described as ‘one of the record glories of our age’ and has won her a huge following. She has been hailed as ‘the pre-eminent Bach pianist of our time’ and ‘nothing less than the pianist who will define Bach performance on the piano for years to come’ (Stereophile). Now for the first time she appears on a 2-DVD set. In the first disc, she conducts a ‘masterclass’, discussing all the challenges, possible pitfalls and delights in performing Bach on the piano. The second disc features Hewitt live in concert. This is an unmissable release.

All regions NTSC 16:9 Anamorphic
Disc 1: DVD9 Dual Layer, Dolby® Digital 2.0
Disc 2: DVD5: Single Layer, PCM Stereo/DTS 5.1/Dolby® Digital 5

Reviews

'No Bach lover will want to be without this fascinating double-DVD set from world-renowned Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, who's virtually inherited the mantle of 'high priestess of Bach' from the late Rosalyn Tureck. She delivers her very substantial lecture in a friendly manner yet provides a succession of deep, intricate insights into the astounding variety of musical issues involved in playing Bach on the modern piano. Best of all, though, is the recital … where Hewitt delivers her Bach with a compelling blend of virtuosity and respect' (Classic FM Magazine *****)

'Seeing a close-up of Angela Hewitt's hands is like watching the purring engine of a Rolls-Royce in motion … Precision, articulation and a sense of tamed power are evident in the springy musculature. Shots, too, of the face reveal the unpretended emotion behind each phrase as she practises in performance what she has demonstrated in lecture … The content is a masterclass. The location is the Fazioli piano factory, whose products she plays. The clear, singing treble and bright, unsmothering bass speak for themselves' (The Sunday Times)

'What Hewitt has to say is full of wisdom and perspicacity, liberally illustrating the talk at her Fazioli piano … Hewitt's poise, clarity of voicing, spontaneity, wonderful finger legato and palpable joy in performing these works is a masterclass in itself' (Gramophone)

'The recital … is a joy. Hewitt's Bach is founded on taking from the harpsichordists what suits her purposes while revelling in the expressive, sometimes Romantic possibilities of the piano. She is so in command of the music, not just technically but intellectually' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Angela Hewitt's comprehensive lecture to camera is addressed to a very wide spectrum of potentially interested people, ranging from music lovers through teachers, amateur pianists, more accomplished ones who have not yet played Bach, to full professionals, even those who have played his music in public … Her own Bach playing is an object-lesson in how to take on board the relevant aspects of harpsichord, clavichord and organ playing without trying to turn the piano into any of them … Hewitt wears her enormous erudition very lightly. Her insights are articulate, eloquent, sometimes profound, yet always pragmatic—in a word, she is superbly empirical' (International Record Review)

'This double-DVD set is a valuable and inspiring introduction to the interpretation of Bach's keyboard music from one of the great Bach exponents of our time … Hewitt approaches her subject with a balance of scholarship, pragmatism and enthusiasm that is both engaging and accessible. And because she illustrates each topic at the piano with examples from Bach's keyboard oeuvre, the lecture is never dry … This DVD serves as a tool not only for learning Bach, but piano music in general' (International Piano magazine)

'This superb two-DVD set from Hyperion offers an excellent opportunity to hear Angela Hewitt expound upon Bach performance and also presents a one-hour recital with the talented pianist … Angela Hewitt's style and grace at the piano is nothing short of magnificent, and it's a real treat (especially for those of us who don't get out too often) to see live performances of pieces I've been listening to on her CDs for years' (Audiophile Audition, USA)

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