Artist: Benjamin Alard

Title: J.S. Bach: The Complete Works for Keyboard, Vol. 4 "Alla Veneziana"

Year Of Release: 2021

Label: Harmonia Mundi HMM 902460.62

Genre: Classical, Harpsichord, Organ

Quality: FLAC 24bit - 96kHz

Total Time: 03:16:55

Total Size: 4.2 GB



Tracklist:



CD1



Concerto in G major BWV 973

Sol majeur / G-Dur

After Violin Concerto in G major (op. 7 no. 8, RV 299) by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

1 | I. [no indication] 2’13

2 | II. Largo 1’58

3 | III. Allegro 2’27

Concerto in G minor BWV 975

Sol mineur / g-Moll

After Violon Concerto in G minor (RV 316) by A. Vivaldi

4 | I. [no indication] 3’10

5 | II. Largo 3’10

6 | III. Giga Presto 2’08

Concerto in B minor BWV 979

Si mineur / h-Moll

After a Violin Concerto in D minor by A. Vivaldi (olim Giuseppe Torelli)

7 | I. Allegro 1’16

8 | II. Adagio 0’41

9 | III. Allegro 3’19

10 | IV. Andante 1’10

11 | V. Adagio 0’49

12 | VI. Allegro 3’47

Concerto in D major BWV 972

Ré majeur / D-Dur

After Violin Concerto in D major (op. 3 no. 9, RV 230) by A. Vivaldi

13 | I. [no indication] 2’07

14 | II. Larghetto 3’05

15 | III. Allegro 2’17

16 | Fantasia and Fugue in A minor BWV 944 (harpeggiando) 8’01

La mineur / a-Moll

Concerto in D minor BWV 974

Ré mineur / d-Moll

After Oboe Concerto in D minor (S. Z799) by Alessandro Marcello (1673-1747)

17 | I. [no indication] 3’07

18 | II. Adagio 3’23

19 | III. Presto 3’56

Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 894

La mineur / a-Moll

20 | I. Prelude 5’51

21 | II. Fugue 4’39

Concerto in G major BWV 980

Sol majeur / G-Dur

After Violin Concerto in B flat minor (RV 381) by A. Vivaldi

22 | I. [no indication] 3’59

23 | II. Largo 3’07

24 | III. Allegro 4’08



CD2



Organ Concerto in A minor BWV 593

La mineur / a-Moll

Arr. of the Concerto for 2 Violins in A minor (op.3 no. 8, RV 522) by A. Vivaldi

1 | I. [Allegro] 3’52

2 | II. Adagio 3’41

3 | III. Allegro 3’54

Concerto in F major BWV 978

Fa majeur / F-Dur

After Violin Concerto in G major (RV 310) by A. Vivaldi

4 | I. Allegro 2’22

5 | II. Largo 1’29

6 | III. Allegro 2’36

Organ Concerto in D minor BWV 596

Ré mineur / d-Moll

Arr. of the Concerto for 2 Violins and Cello in D minor (op.3 no. 11, RV 565) by A. Vivaldi

7 | I. [Allegro] 0’53

8 | II. Grave 0’17

9 | III. Fuga 3’06

10 | IV. Largo e spiccato 2’38

11 | V. [no indication] 3’08

Concerto in C major BWV 976

Do majeur / C-Dur

After Violin Concerto in E major (RV 265) by A. Vivaldi

12 | I. [no indication] 4’07

13 | II. Largo 3’11

14 | III. Allegro 3’11

15 | Prelude and Fugue in G minor BWV 535 7’00

Sol mineur / g-Moll

Organ Concerto in G major BWV 592

Sol majeur / G-Dur

Arr. of a lost violin concerto by Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar (1696-1715)

16 | I. [Adagio] 3’15

17 | II. Grave 2’02

18 | III. Presto 1’55

Fantasie and Fugue in G minor BWV 542/2 (excerpt)

Sol mineur / g-Moll

19 | II. Fugue 6’12



CD3



Organ Concerto in C major BWV 594

Do majeur / C-Dur

Arr. of the Violin Concerto in D major “Grosso Mogul” (RV 208) by A. Vivaldi

1 | I. [Allegro] 7’15

2 | II. Recitativ. Adagio 3’35

3 | III. Allegro 8’47

4 | “Wo soll ich fliehen hin” BWV 694 - Chorale Prelude 3’17

5 | Trio for organ in D minor BWV 583 5’00

Ré mineur / d-Moll

6 | “Valet will ich dir geben” BWV 736 - Chorale Prelude 4’08

7 | Trio super “Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr” BWV 664 5’37

8 | “Wir glauben all an einen Gott” BWV-Anh. 69 - Chorale Prelude 3’07

9 | “Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her” BWV-Anh. 65 - Chorale Prelude 1’16

10 | “Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele” BWV-Anh. 52 - Chorale Prelude 3’31

11 | “Jesu, meine Freude” BWV-Anh. 58 - Chorale Prelude 3’10

Toccata in C major BWV 564

Do majeur / C-Dur

12 | I. Toccata 5’41

13 | II. Adagio 4’42

14 | III. Fugue 5’06



This is the fourth volume in what will eventually become a 17-album series from keyboardist Benjamin Alard, covering Bach's keyboard music in its entirety. This volume brings Alard's aims into clearer focus. Unlike previous entries, it is exclusively devoted to Bach (except for a series of dubiously authentic chorale-based works toward the end), but it is nevertheless oriented toward musical context. Alard seems to be taking the keyboard music, both chronologically and according to national style, which makes a great deal of sense; Bach's career resulted partly, but not exclusively, in music that followed French, Italian, and German styles. As the "Alla veneziana" subtitle suggests, this release is devoted to Venetian-style music and includes Bach's organ transcriptions of Vivaldi's violin concertos, as well as solo keyboard "concertos" in the Italian style (although the famed "Italian Concerto," BWV 971, is not included). The Vivaldi transcriptions are played on a modern copy of a Hamburg pedal harpsichord; no justification for this is given, but it's hard to imagine Bach would have objected. The real highlight comes on the first disc, where Alard plays a recently restored 1702 harpsichord of Mattia De Gand, with gut strings. This instrument is a bit odd on first listen, but it soon fascinates with its sound, gentle in single-line textures and clear in big fugues. For the final disc, Alard moves to another restored instrument, a 1710 organ by André Silbermann. He plays another Vivaldi transcription as well as a series of chorale preludes (several thought to be spurious) and a highly virtuosic toccata. Alard's technique is lightly improvisatory, suggesting Bach at the keyboard but not departing radically from stylistic norms. One awaits further installments in the series and hopes for fresh touches similar to those found here.h