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Track(s) taken from CDA67607/8

Keyboard Concerto No 7 in G minor, BWV1058

composer

Angela Hewitt (piano), Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti (conductor)
Recording details: February 2005
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Australia
Produced by Ludger Böckenhoff
Engineered by Ludger Böckenhoff
Release date: June 2005
Total duration: 14 minutes 5 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

Andrew Arthur (harpsichord), The Hanover Band

Reviews

‘Her playing is absolutely captivating: she decorates the solo part with playful, come-hither ornamentation—twirls, flutters, arabesques—and yet it never disturbs the clear, logical path she forges through the course of each work. Her staccato touch has the force of sprung steel and yet her legato line is a miracle of smoothness and transparency. An absolute joy’ (Gramophone)

‘Hewitt's Bach is well-known for its expressive restraint, lucid textures and rhythmic grace. These virtues are abundantly present in her thoughtful, unmannered approach to the Concertos. Contrapuntal arguments are admirably clear and Hewitt's restricted use of the sustaining pedal ensure a pleasing clarity of dialogue. These virtues are mirrored by the lightly articulated bowing of the strings of the Australian Chamber Orchestra under the direction of its leader Richard Tognetti … my own prefernce lies just with Hewitt and her Australian musicians’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘These two discs, while available separately, go in tandem as a beguiling example of what can be achieved in performances of Baroque music on the piano when they have been prepared with such thought and are blessed with such compelling artistry as Angela Hewitt's. Her Bach catalogue for Hyperion is already extensive, and here she joins the outstanding Australian Chamber Orchestra for the six concertos and two other works that spotlight the keyboard, the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto and the A minor Triple Concerto with flute (Alison Mitchell) and violin (Richard Tognetti, who also directs the orchestra). The performances call on different traditions: Hewitt plays a modern Fazioli grand, the orchestra deploys certain historically aware techniques, to the extent of having a discreet harpsichord in the continuo part. But such is Hewitt's sensitivity to style, and such is the orchestra's versatility, that there is no sense of compromise or jarring anachronism. Rather, the two coalesce in interpretations of remarkable synergy and fascinating textures. The familiar argument that Bach would have written for a piano if only he had had one is nowhere given more persuasive advocacy than in Hewitt's singing melodic lines, her judicious range of tonal colouring and in her touch, which combines the crispness and full flavour of a fresh apple. Take a bite of any of these concertos, and you will want to make a whole meal of them’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Her fingers dance as well as sing: in the outer movements, rhythms are buoyantly sprung, and this communicates itself to the members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, whose slender string accompaniment in no way lessens their energy, while Hewitt responds by projecting the piano parts with all due attention to Bach's overall texture’ (International Record Review)

‘Here the Fazioli is heard at its exquisite best, its spongey bass chords pumping with clarity, its treble caressing a heart-tuggingly beautiful legato out of the slow movement, while the dainty strings sketch an almost tongue-in-cheek pizzicato in the background. Hewitt's sense of phrase is masterful … the statements have regal import under the authoritative hands of this queen of keyboard playing’ (The Times)

‘As always, she really sparkles in the allegros, infusing the music with wit as well as technical bravura’ (The Sunday Times)

‘The result of their historically informed modern-instrument take on the music is stunning, with crisp rhythms and singing melodic lines’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Hewitt's performances are brilliantly alive. Her subtle lyricism adds a rich, occasionally dark dimension, possibly not as Bach himself would have envisaged, but always with a deep sense of musical integrity’ (The Scotsman)

‘These are warmly involving interpretations of pioneering pieces’ (HMV Choice)

‘Her [Hewitt's] success comes from the shaping of each concerto, these are rhythmical, warm interpretations shimmering with boundless energy and skilled virtuosity’ (Cathedral Music)

‘Her playing is absolutely captivating: she decorates the solo part with playful, come-hither ornamentation—twirls, flutters, arabesques—and yet it never disturbs the clear, logical path she forges through the course of each work. Her staccato touch has the force of sprung steel and yet her legato line is a miracle of smoothness and transparency. An absolute joy’ (Metro)
The Concerto No 7 in G minor, BWV1058 is one of Bach’s most popular concerto works. Known more widely as the Concerto in A minor for violin, BWV1041 it is nevertheless extremely powerful on the keyboard – and especially so on the modern piano. Its first movement is forthright, determined, allowing for no nonsense. The few lighter passages do not last long. The Andante is stately, beginning quietly with an ostinato bass that introduces another of those beautiful melodies that only Bach could write. The feeling is quite rhapsodic, although the form is strict. The fireworks are, as usual in these works, kept for the last movement which begins and ends as a fugue. The tempo is quick but should not be rushed. It is more important to feel the swing of the dance than to show off.

from notes by Angela Hewitt © 2005

Le Concerto no 7 en sol mineur, BWV1058 est l’une des œuvres concertantes les plus populaires de Bach. Bien que davantage connu sous la forme du Concerto en la mineur pour violon, BWV1041, il est extrêmement puissant au clavier – surtout sur un piano moderne. Son premier mouvement, direct et déterminé, n’autorise pas le moindre écart. Et les rares passages plus légers sont de courte durée. L’Andante, majestueux, ouvre paisiblement sur un basso ostinato introduisant une mélodie magnifique, comme seul Bach sait en écrire. Malgré une forme rigide, il en émane presque un sentiment de rhapsodie. Comme toujours dans ces œuvres, le feu d’artifice est gardé pour le dernier mouvement, qui commence et se termine comme une fugue. Le tempo est rapide, mais il ne faut pas le brusquer. Mieux vaut sentir le rythme de la danse que faire de l’esbroufe.

extrait des notes rédigées par Angela Hewitt © 2005
Français: Hypérion

Das Konzert Nr. 7 in g-Moll BWV1058 ist eines der populärsten Konzerte Bachs. Es ist als Konzert in a-Moll für Violine BWV1041 bekannter, doch ist es auch auf einem Tasteninstrument, besonders auf dem modernen Klavier, sehr wirkungsvoll. Der erste Satz kommt ohne Umschweife und sehr bestimmt daher. Die wenigen leichteren Passagen dauern kaum an. Das Andante ist würdevoll und beginnt leise mit einem ostinaten Bass, der eine jener wunderschönen Melodien einleitet, wie nur Bach sie schreiben konnte. Das Ganze mutet recht rhapsodisch an, obwohl die Form streng beibehalten wird. Das Feuerwerk wird, wie in allen diesen Werken, bis zum letzten Satz zurückgehalten, der mit einer Fuge beginnt und endet. Das Tempo ist zügig, sollte jedoch nicht gehetzt werden. Es ist hier wichtiger, den Schwung des Tanzes zu spüren, als Virtuosität zu demonstrieren.

aus dem Begleittext von Angela Hewitt © 2005
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Bach: Harpsichord Concertos Nos 1, 3, 4 & 7
Studio Master: SIGCD710Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Bach: The Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 1
CDA67307
Bach: The Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 1
This album is not yet available for downloadSACDA67307Super-Audio CD — Deleted
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