** Bach continues to inspire many! Sabine Weyer also released "Bach to the Future" at ARS Produktion: 11 piano transcriptions of famous Bach works, arranged by Italian Ferruccio Busoni, Russian Alexander Siloti and Frenchman Camille Saint-Saëns.
If this CD proves one thing beyond question, it is the timelessness of the genius Johann Sebastian Bach. And perhaps herein lies the crux of the performance: Weyer's interpretation lacks originality. Neat recording technique, yes, but we've heard it elsewhere too ... and better.
The CD is built around the French Suite No. 2 (BWV 813), originally written for harpsichord, but performed here on piano (nos. 5 to 10). Weyer begins with the transcription of 4 cantatas: Ich rufe zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639), Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 645), Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 659) and Jesu Christus, unser Heiland (BWV 665). All cantatas were arranged by Busoni (nos. 1 to 4) and performed instrumentally. After the suite, it is Siloti's turn (nos. 11 to 14) with piano reductions of the Siciliano from the Sonata for flute and harpsichord (BWV 1031), Prelude in B minor, from the "Clavier Büchlein" (original spelling) for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (BWV 855a), the Andante from Sonata No. 5 for solo violin (BWV 1003) and the Air from the Orchestral Suite (Overture) No. 3 (BWV 1068). Finally, two arrangements by the Frenchman Saint-Saëns are performed with the Bourrée from Partita No. 1 (BWV 1002) and the Largo from Sonata No. 3 (BWV 1005).
The chosen works are all well-known Bach works and sound as if burned into the ears. The many available recordings make it extra difficult for the soloist to come up with something original. Recording-wise, there is little to fault on this CD. Performance-wise, much more so. Weyer masters the instrument but, in my opinion, not the music. Distracting tempo loss, for example in the sarabande of the French suite, is just one consequence of this. Rhythmic uncertainty is another. As for interpretation, the soloist still has considerable room for growth. The entire CD suffers from too slow a tempo. Even in sections where more dynamism and liveliness can be expected. Due to the too slow tempo, she more than once flirts with rhythmic inaccuracies. It seems very much as if the soloist listened very carefully to Glenn Gould in his over-familiar Goldberg Variations (Bach), but falls short in imitating him.
Moreover, the frequent arpeggios are—and equally due to the sometimes too slow tempi—played too heavily, causing the music to lack the necessary lightness of touch (or call it "swing" if you will). The listener gets the impression that the left hand sometimes struggles to keep up with the right, which equally prevents a carefree musical sensation. The already frequently used CD title "Bach to the Future" (a reference to the sci-fi classic by Robert Zemeckis) promises brand new interpretations of timeless work, but founders too much in "old school" ingenuity that was handled quite a bit better by brilliant pianists in the past. Brahms' quip also holds here: music only begins one meter away from the score ... here you remain sitting on top of it. The soloist is far from finished with this simply sounding, but devilishly difficult music. A reasonably good Saint-Saëns cannot, unfortunately, change anything about this.
- What: Bach to the Future, arrangements of Bach by Busoni, Siloti and Saint-Saëns
- Who: Sabine Weyer
- Release: Ars Produktion, ARS no. 38 245
