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Track(s) taken from CDA67310

Toccata in E minor, BWV914

composer

Angela Hewitt (piano)
Recording details: January 2002
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Ludger Böckenhoff
Engineered by Ludger Böckenhoff
Release date: July 2002
Total duration: 6 minutes 49 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)

Reviews

‘Her performances could hardly be more stylish or impeccable, more vital or refined; and, as a crowning touch, Hyperion's sound is superb’ (Gramophone)

‘Angela Hewitt’s intelligent virtuosity, stylish command and uncluttered musicianship not only serve the composer well, but also prove how vibrant and expressive the toccatas can and should sound on the modern concert grand’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Imaginative and exciting performances’ (The Observer)

‘She proves once again that she is an exemplary exponent of Bach’s keyboard music on the piano, making these complex pieces flow with uninterrupted inspiration’ (The Independent)

‘A lovely tone, a seamless legato, some delicious dissonances – perfectly gauged and subtly nuanced – and some probing recitatives’ (American Record Guide)

‘In Hewitt’s hands [the toccatas] evince a molten quality that places the listener in close proximity to the act of composition’ (International Record Review)

‘Like the music itself, the performances brim with that improvisatory spontaneity that is the hallmark of this player’s style’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Faultless articulation and sensitive phrasing’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Interpretations that are first class from beginning to end’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Hewitt brings a sublime grace and thoroughly musical fluidity to Bach’s endlessly creative writing … fabulously involving and beautifully performed’ (HMV Choice)

‘She succeeds remarkably in giving each work a differently slanted emotional colour, while every detail emerges with glittering definition … a fine disc’ (Pianist)

‘This album is now the benchmark recording of these works on the piano’ (Goldberg)

‘There is much brilliant playing here … the total impression is of interpretations that are superbly performed, clean, clear and serious’ (International Piano)

‘Exquisite playing … This disc reinforces Hewitt's position as one of the supreme Bach interpreters and provides the ideal entry point for newcomers to her’ (Music Week)

‘This disc is a delight from start to finish, a disc to lift the saddest of spirits’ (BBCi)

‘Interpretations of the highest quality … For sheer virtuosity she makes us hold our breath at the combination of clarity, dynamic variety and structural comprehension, which is faultlessly conveyed’ (Musical Opinion)

«La pianiste possède en effet une très belle sonorité, travaillée et personelle» (Classica, France)
The Toccata in E minor, BWV914, is a well-constructed and appealing work. The main curiosity here is the origin of the concluding fugue. Large parts of it seem to be borrowed directly from an anonymous composition discovered in a Naples manuscript. The subject, which certainly has elements of the Italian violin style, is almost identical. The episodes, however, contain material by Bach that is more refined and complex than anything written by the mysterious Italian. Preceding it are three sections: a brief introduction in the lower register of the keyboard; a double fugue marked ‘Un poco Allegro’; and a cadenza-like adagio that is written over a descending bass line. The latter is marked ‘Praeludium’ in one copy made by a Bach student, which leads us to think that it was perhaps, along with the fugue, an independent composition before being recycled as part of the toccata.

from notes by Angela Hewitt © 2002

La Toccata en mi mineur, BWV914 est une page bien construite et séduisante. La curiosité principale réside dans l’origine de la dernière fugue. De larges parties semblent être directement empruntées à une œuvre anonyme découverte à Naples sous forme manuscrite. Le sujet, qui comprend certainement des éléments du style violonistique italien est presque identique. Les épisodes, cependant, contiennent un matériau propre à Bach, plus raffiné et complexe que tout ce que le mystérieux Italien avait pu écrire. Trois sections la précèdent : une courte introduction dans le registre grave du clavier, une double fugue notée « Un poco Allegro » et un adagio aux allures de cadence écrit sur une ligne de basse descendante. Celle-ci est notée « Praeludium » dans une copie réalisée par un étudiant de Bach, ce qui nous mène à penser qu’elle était peut-être, ainsi que la fugue, une composition indépendante avant d’être recyclée au sein de la toccata.

extrait des notes rédigées par Angela Hewitt © 2002
Français: Isabelle Battioni

Die Toccata in e-Moll, BWV914 ist ein weiteres wohlkonstruiertes und ansprechendes Stück. Das Hauptinteresse gilt hier den Ursprüngen der Schlussfuge. Große Teile scheinen direkt einem anonymen Werk entnommen zu sein, das in einem Manuskript aus Neapel entdeckt wurde. Das Thema, in dem gewisse Elemente des italienischen Violinstils offensichtlich sind, ist fast identisch. Die Zwischenspiele jedoch bestehen aus Bachs eigenem Material, das verfeinerter und komplexer ist als jegliche Überlieferungen des unbekannten Italieners. Diesem Teil sind drei Abschnitte vorangestellt: eine kurze Einleitung im tieferen Register des Instruments, eine Doppelfuge überschrieben mit „Un poco Allegro“ und ein kadenzartiges Adagio, dem eine absteigende Basslinie zugrunde liegt. Letzteres ist in einer Kopie, die von einem Bachschüler angefertigt wurde, mit „Praeludium“ überschrieben, was bedeuten könnte, dass es möglicher­weise zusammen mit der Fuge zunächst ein selbstständiges Werk war, bevor es als Teil der Toccata wiederverwertet wurde.

aus dem Begleittext von Angela Hewitt © 2002
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Bach: Angela Hewitt plays Bach
CDS44421/3516CDs Boxed set (at a special price) — Download only
Bach: The Toccatas
Studio Master: CDA68244Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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