Harpsichordist
Mahan Esfahani
is making his leisurely way through what will eventually be a complete edition of
Bach
's keyboard music, and he is almost always compelling in this repertory. He has an imposing style that may remind one of what might have happened if
Glenn Gould
had played the harpsichord, with expressive tempo flexibility married to a strong pulse. That style is ideally suited to the works in the second part of the Clavier-Uebung collection, offered here, which includes probably
's most familiar piece of solo keyboard music, the
Italian Concerto, BWV 971
.
Esfahani
is especially brilliant here, playing a double-manual harpsichord by builder
Jukka Ollikka
and expertly navigating the necessary shifts. Sample the glittering finale, but also the Andante slow movement, where
gets both hands involved in the expressive tempo manipulations. The instrument is perhaps a bit less well suited to the
French Overture, BWV 831
, a more delicate work and one where
does not try to emphasize the dance origins of the rhythms, but there are many fascinating things here as well. Try the deep murk he brings to the Bourree I's sound masses. The smaller pieces at the end of the program are all rarely played (it is not all clear why this should be so for the Four Duets from the
Clavier-Uebung III
). The program closes with two intriguing occasional pieces by the young
that are worth the admission price all by themselves. As usual,
contributes his own notes, which delve into technical issues without losing sight of the main expressive ideas. His
is looking more and more like a body of work for the ages. ~ James Manheim