J.S. Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 855, E Minor Prelude, Kimiko Ishizaka, Teldex Studios
Download the entire Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1:
http://music.kimiko-piano.com/album/bach-well-tempered-clavier-book-1Campbell Vertesi, singled out this prelude in his review of Kimiko Ishizaka's "Well-Tempered Clavier" recording, saying the following:
"I believe in Bach as a baroque badass, a rock star of a composer, musician, and human being who destroyed the expectations of the music industry of his time. I always loved the Glenn Gould recordings because of Gould's emotional style, but found them frustrating in their lack of fidelity to the source material. Bach was a badass on his own, there's no need to re-compose his work! What I love about the Open WTC is the marriage of these two aspects of the composer. We clearly hear the structure and form that are so important to Bach in general, and to this work in particular. At the same time we hear the expression and emotive aspect in the music, the part that made Bach into rock star he was. A great example of this balance is in Prelude 10, which I'm used to hearing played as a facile excercise. Kimiko's performance starts from a playful reading of the opening theme, and transitions into a simply amazing Presto that is so "rock star", it might as well be concluded by smashing a guitar and biting the head off a bat."
http://thecastmusic.com/blog/kimiko-ishizakas-open-well-tempered-klavierPianist Kimiko Ishizaka has received extensive critical praise for her 2015 recording of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1.
* "she is a beautiful and technically accomplished player"
* "The A-major fugue, fast and exciting, is one of the best performances here"
* "the light hand in interpretation makes this performance preferable to Hewitt (the later recording on Hyperion) or Schiff (ECM, Jan/Feb 2013)"
- American Record Guide, July-August 2015
* "elegant, spirited, technically impressive, and ever sensitive to the expressive character of the music"
* "Ishizaka subtly employs various shadings of dynamics, uses a fair amount of legato, and phrases the music with a keen sense for Bach's expressive soul."
* "A brilliant performance and brilliant set all around!"
- Robert Cummings, Classical.net
* "Ishizaka plays the 24 preludes and fugues with impeccable taste and technique, finding many levels of musical meaning even as she brings utmost clarity to the multiplicity of textures."
* "She scales her Bach to the rhythmic, structural and sonic needs of the music, without touching the sustaining pedal."
* "Her articulation runs the sensitive gamut from cushioned to bitingly crisp."
* "Each line has a transparent place in the scheme of unfolding things, and the pianist seems to take enormous pleasure in weaving together all of the miraculous strands."
- Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone Magazine
* "This is a rec
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt-sQVEGKrQ