Bach: French Suites / Keith Jarrett

Jarrett plays brilliantly.Please listen to this performance for yourself; the criticisms of other reviewers on this page seem unfair to me. The accusation that Jarrett has a poor touch on the harpsichord is particularly puzzling; like his other harpsichord recordings, this one is splendid.There are three problems which face us. The first is the harpsichord itself, to many a diabolical instrument which should have become extinct with the invention of the pianoforte. But of course these suites were written for harpsichord and (if that matters to you) piano versions are anachronistic.Another is that Jarrett plays Bach cleanly and with fewer inflections than is the fashion these days. But that is the way many listeners still love to hear Bach played.A third lies in Jarrett's tempi. Glenn Gould got through these suites in one-third of the time Jarrett takes. Whether that enhanced our appreciation, and whether his performances said more about Bach or Gould, I leave to you. But Jarrett's performance (again, if that matters to you) is far closer to Bach's original intention.In any case, comparisons are odious. After Jarrett, Gould sounds like an over-wound musical box. After Gould, Jarrett sounds like a tortoise. But the phrasing of each performer is wonderful, and each man's understanding of Bach is well worth listening to.Personally, I love Jarrett's playing; he is one of the most sensitive and lyrical of contemporary pianists, and his long illness has deprived us of what would surely have been a larger body of baroque music recordings. So make your own mind up.I highly recommend this collection to lovers of Bach, Jarrett and the diabolical harpsichord.

The negative reviews on this page are quite unfounded. If you don't recognise the phrasing, articutations and inflection on this recording, well, you don't know what phrasing and articulation are. As a lover of Bach and a harpsichordist myself, I own no less than five recordings of the French suites and find myself reaching for this one most often. Jarrett's tempi are appropriate and reasonable; he uses plenty of speed where it's needed, he's making beautiful music, not showing off how fast he can move his fingers. Listen for example to the courante from the #5 Gmaj and tell me he's "dragging", you'll sound silly. All in all, these suites are thoughtfully interpreted and played with grace.

The negative reviews seem unfounded. I bought the Glenn Gould CD and he has the annoying tendency to hum throughout his entire recordings. Furthermore, I like Jarrett over Gould in that the music, written for harpsichord, naturally sounds better on harpsichord than piano.

Le génie de Jean-Sébastien Bach servi par Keith Jarrett, qui est - lui aussi - l’un des plus grands génies musicaux. Quelle chance d’être un contemporain de cet artiste et d’avoir pu l’écouter de nombreuses fois sur scène. Fantastique

Personally I love both cds but not to listen to back to back

Bach è Bach. E Jarret è Jarret. Il grande jazzista dimostra di possedere una base di cultura musicale notevole, contrariamente ad altri pseudomusicisti meritevoli ma descritto dalla stampa come fautori di "grande musica". Peccato che le sue interpretazioni bachiane siano praticamente introvabili.

Quel merveilleux professeur… qui nous prend par la main pour nous faire découvrir, nous "apprendre" et nous faire aimer cette magnifique musique… écoutez moi simplement, laissez vous guider par moi sans préjugés car cette musique dite savante ne nécessite pas, pour être appréciée, d’être prof de piano ou de clavecin, d’être abonné à La salle Pleyel ou d’être un spécialiste de JS Bach… et constatez (écoutez) comme elle est simple, comme elle est belle, comme elle est jubilatoire… très éloignée des interprétations austères ou pédantes de certains... cette musique c’est la vie, c’est la joie, c’est la danse… Cette interprétation nous enchante et nous rend heureux ! Et ce n’est pas rien, merci Monsieur Keith Jarrett.

I usually like my Bach on the harpsichord and I bought this disc on the basis of hearing some short samples and seeing a few good reviews in magazines. But I was disappointed when I sat down to listen to the whole thing, as I found the approach was often rather plodding and lacking in elegant phrasing.Having looked for alternatives, I'm coming to the conclusion that it can be hard to make these pieces work on the harpsichord. The great Thurston Dart thought the clavichord was the right instrument and his recording is still available as a cheap MP3 download - an interesting comparison.In the end it is very much a matter of taste. I'm sorry this disc is not quite mine, it might be yours. Incidentally, it took a full week to arrive, so not ideal for the impatient.