T.D.

I'm not much into vocal Bach, but love the St. Matthew Passion and enjoy the Mass in B Minor and Christmas Oratorio. Have not thus far elected to explore the cantatas - it's a daunting prospect and there are too many other things competing for attention. Oddly, I discovered Renaissance polyphony a few years ago and became an enthusiast despite not having a big appetite for Christian religious music. But my collection thereof will never get overly big, because there are only so many Kyrie eleisons, Glorias, etc. I want to hear.

Well, tastes obviously differ and you don't have to like Bach...I'm kind of a math nerd and love the structure of contrapuntal music. Regarding lack of "room for interpretation", I've found plenty in Bach. That said, the three Partitas recordings I currently own (Schepkin 1, Tipo, J. C. Martins; Schepkin 1 the favorite) all feature quite a bit of embellishment or "extravagance". Schepkin 2 supposedly tones down some of his earlier embellishments. (Other Bach solo keyboard performers: I own quite a bit of Gould and Schiff on piano, a Feltsman Art of the Fugue on piano, a Feinberg WTC on piano and a Hantai GV on harpsichord. Plus various recordings by those previously mentioned.) I recently read a review of a Morton Feldman recording in which the critic expressed the opinion that Feldman's piano music allows relatively little "r f i" and that recordings don't differ very much. I don't agree, but the dynamics (often pp to ppp ) tend to obscure differences. I've attended a couple of performances of Steve Reich's music recently, and he seems like a composer who might truly leave little "r f i", because the phasing has to be executed so precisely. But I haven't heard all that much Reich.

I don't exactly need another recording of the Partitas, but they're personal favorites and I really enjoyed Schepkin's earlier (Ongaku) recording, so...

[Tristano, Konitz, Marsh] +1

Mostly to hear Tallis's Spem in alium.

The Partitas, Busoni transcriptions and Goldbergs.

Yep. Also: Although I'm not 100% sure "one-hit wonder" applies...

This is extremely interesting, but unfortunately it's rather sloppy and slipshod in many respects.

Pedja Mužijević, solo piano concert "Bach Dialogues" J.S. Bach, Partita in C minor BWV 826 Fulmer, “whose fingers brush the sky” (2014) J.S. Bach, Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother BWV 992 Joslin, Cadaquésan Landscape (2017) J.S. Bach, Sarabanda con Partite BWV 990 This (free!) event was pretty good. The non-Partita Bach pieces are relative obscurities. The Fulmer piece involves piano "preparations" and strumming inside the piano; the Joslin piece utilizes 2 metronomes and a music box.

Longtime favorite. Schepkin has re-recorded the Partitas on the Steinway & Sons label...I really should hear them, but to date have not.

Very much agreed. I wish Kocsis had continued with piano rather than (or at least in addition to) switching to conducting.

Carmell Jones.