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Keith Jarrett: J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier – Book I
ByWithin a month of Jarrett's having studio-recorded The Well-Tempered ClavierBook I, in 1987, he performed the pieces in a solo concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, in upstate Rensselaer County, New York. That historic hallcompleted in 1875features a performance area over one-hundred feet long, seventy feet wide and sixty-one feet high, an acoustic marvel. It suits Jarrett well in this performance, captured on a two-CD set.
Jarrett's reading of Bach's compositions is crystalline, and without embellishment. As he has said often of his interpretations of classical masters, the composer's music speaks for itself and requires no help on his part. Just the same, it is the pianist who brings this music to life. Jarrett's perfect pitch and technical skills overcome the challenge of taking music written for harpsichord and containing it within its intended perimeters, using the piano. He channels Bach through each of the forty-seven pieces, the only shading coming from the subtleties of the keyboard.
Jarrett has been performing, and recording, classical music since early in his solo career; rather than being a "jazz artist" playing classical music, his body of work proves that his art is where he discovers it. Jarrett has interpreted the works of Mozart, Händel, Shostakovich, Barber, and Bartok and, with each, he plays with a lack of consciousness. This live version of The Well-Tempered ClavierBook I should appeal to anyone who appreciates a great musician.
Track Listing
Prelude & Fugues: XIII F-sharp major; XIII F-sharp major; XIV f-sharp minor; XV G major; XIV f-sharp minor; XV G major; XVI g minor; XVII A-flat major; XVI g minor; XVII A-flat major; XVIII g-sharp; XIX A major; XVIII g-sharp minor; XX a minor; XIX A major; XXI B-flat major; XXI B-flat major; XX a minor; XXII b-flat minor; XXIII B major; XXII b-flat minor; XXIII B major; XXIV b minor; I C major; II C minor; III C-sharp major; IV c-sharp minor; V D major; IV c-sharp minor; V D major; VI d minor; VII E-flat major; VIII e flat minor/d sharp minor; IX E major; X e minor; XI F major; XII f minor.
Personnel
Keith Jarrett
pianoKeith Jarrett: piano.
Album information
Title: J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier – Book I | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: ECM Records
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Brussels Jazz Weekend 2019