Richard Egarr – J.S. Bach: The Partitas, BWV 825-830 (2017) [nativeDSDmusic DSF DSD64/2.82MHz]

Johann Sebastian Bach – The Partitas, BWV 825-830 – Richard Egarr (2017)
DSF Stereo DSD64, 1 bit/2,82 MHz | Time – 02:34:36 minutes | 6,11 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: nativeDSDmusic | Booklet, Front Cover | © Harmonia Mundi
Recorded: janvier 2016, Doopsgezinde, Haarlem, Netherlands

At the time of my writing these notes, there lives in England an extraordinary 37-year-old ‘Savant’ who can make huge, complex calculations in his head, recite ‘pi’ to over 21,000 decimal points, and master languages unknown to him (such as Icelandic) in one week. These abilities manifested themselves after a head trauma in his young years. Unusually he displays none of the social difficulties in communication which other more autistic Savants often have. Such extraordinary people maybe give us a glimpse of the true potential of the human brain, that most complex and mysterious organ. I am convinced that Bach’s abilities with music, the manipulation of sound in time and space, were on this superhuman level. Commentators at the time attest to his ability to assess immediately the full potential and possibilities of any given fugue subject. Another frequently mentioned skill was an ability to infuse his music with numerical and mathematical material. These notes will take a look at Bach’s first major publication, his ‘Opus 1’, the six wonderful Partitas, and try to understand and suggest his message to us. The music must be familiar to any serious keyboard player or music lover, so I will restrict myself to a personal reaction to this music. Thereafter I will try to ‘decode’ the bigger and deeper message that lurks beneath these fantastic notes.

Any composer’s Op.1 is a big deal. Bach modelled his own after Kuhnau’s ‘Neue Clavier Übung’, books 1 and 2 of which were published in 1689 and 1692. Bach’s ability to ‘see’ and create a long-term ‘project’ has its spooky beginnings here.

Although the music that inhabits the six Partitas was ready and waiting, rather than publish them together, Bach staggered their delivery. Partita 1 came in 1726, with the other five appearing gradually over the next four years, until finally in 1731 the entire six Partitas were presented as his ‘Clavir [sic] Ubung . . . Opus 1 . . . 1731’. Bach infuses this seemingly effortless music with godly patterns and personal algorithms of stunning brilliance. Many pages have been spent in the pursuit of secret codes in Bach’s music: for many, a contentious subject. Bach began by publishing Partita 1 in 1726 – when he was 41 years old. Needless to say the final movement of the set (the 41st movement), has as its theme a subject containing 14 notes. The family name not only gave rise to a direct musical melody [BACH = B flat/A/C/B natural], but for Johann Sebastian a pair of deliciously mirrored numbers with which he was wont to sign his name at beginnings and endings in particular. If A=1, B=2 etc. (I and J are counted as the same letter),

then: BACH = [2+1+3+8] 14
JSBACH = [9+18+14] 41

The above is wilfully paraphrased from Richard Egarr’s own superb notes from this new recording of the Partitas; crowning his already extensive series of Bach’s harpsichord works, and illuminating every one of their multiple facets.

Tracklist:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825
01 | I. Praeludium 2’02
02 | II. Allemande 4’28
03 | III. Corrente 3’01
04 | IV. Sarabande 4’43
05 | V. Menuets I & II 3’15
06 | VI. Gigue 2’28
Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
07 | I. Sinfonia 4’48
08 | II. Allemande 4’32
09 | III. Courante 2’11
10 | IV. Sarabande 3’08
11 | V. Rondeaux 1’49
12 | VI. Capriccio 4’12
Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828
13 | I. Ouverture 5’53
14 | II. Allemande 11’20
15 | III. Courante 3’38
16 | IV. Aria 2’18
17 | V. Sarabande 5’40
18 | VI. Menuet 1’31
19 | VII. Gigue 4’16
Partita No. 3 in A minor, BWV 827
20 | I. Fantasia 2’35
21 | II. Allemande 3’21
22 | III. Corrente 3’15
23 | IV. Sarabande 3’27
24 | V. Burlesca 2’17
25 | VI. Scherzo 1’24
26 | VII. Gigue 4’14
27 | VIII. Gigue (alternative version) 4’12
Partita No. 5 in G major, BWV 829
28 | I. Praeambulum 2’44
29 | II. Allemande 4’47
30 | III. Corrente 2’13
31 | IV. Sarabande 4’07
32 | V. Tempo di Minuetta 2’16
33 | VI. Passepied 1’47
34 | VII. Gigue 4’44
Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830
35 | I. Toccata 6’39
36 | II. Allemande 4’00
37 | III. Corrente 4’55
38 | IV. Air 1’40
39 | V. Sarabande 6’04
40 | VI. Tempo di Gavotta 2’08
41 | VII. Gigue 6’10

Personnel:
Richard Egarr (harpsichord Joel Katzman, Amsterdam, 1991, after Ruckers, Antwerp, 1638). Tuning: A = 399 • Temperament: R. Egarr based on 18th C. 6th comma

Download:

mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part1.rar
mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part2.rar
mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part3.rar
mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part4.rar
mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part5.rar
mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part6.rar
mqs.link_BachJ.S.ThePartitasBWV825830RichardEgarr2017nativeDSDmusicDSD64.part7.rar