Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 BWV 846-869 (ca.1722)
Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)
rec. 2024, Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Loughton, UK
Hyperion CDA68451-2 [2 CDs: 114]
Mahan Esfahani is building up a substantial collection of J.S. Bach’s keyboard works on the Hyperion label, including the French Suites (review), the Notebooks for Anna Magdalena (review), all as part of a project to record all of Bach’s works in this genre. When finished this set can stand alongside Angela Hewitt’s compete Bach edition (review) in the Hyperion catalogue, with quills complimenting hammers.
As you would expect from this label, the recording quality here is excellent, with plenty of detail set in a fine but relatively inobtrusive acoustic. For sure we are closer to the instrument than would normally be the case in a concert hall, but this is a very fine copy of a two-manual harpsichord from 1710 made by Johann Heinrich Harrass and there are no concerns about the recorded balance. Built by Huw Saunders, the sound of this instrument is crisp and full, with an airy transparency that seems entirely natural for Bach. Those with an acute allergy towards the sound of harpsichords may not be cured, but I for one find this recording a delicious experience. There is a word on tuning in the booklet, but a happy equilibrium seems to have been struck here in which there are contrasts of character between keys without creating discomfort in even the remotest tonalities, with no re-tuning between pieces.
Mahan Esfahani has already had plenty of acclaim for his musicianship, and this recording of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 will only add to his reputation. Delivering truly expressive playing on the harpsichord is not the easiest thing in the world, but Esfahani has plenty of the chops needed to pull off, for instance, the illusion of legato lines in the Prelude No. 4 in C sharp minor. If an idea of the kind of contrast possible from his instrument were needed then the following Fugue is a fine example, Bach’s grand finale kicking in at 2:21 to deliver magnificence in miniature. The Prelude No. 21 in B flat major is full of fireworks and gives the impression of Bach improvising at the keyboard. None of the chosen tempi seem controversial to my ears, with virtuosity standing next to sublime lyricism as it should. Esfahani is quite brisk in general but always allows the music enough breathing space for the listener’s ear to follow its complexity.
Esfahani is not afraid to use quite a bit of rubato, but for me this never feels artificial. In this way his performances are often quite ‘meaty’, and certainly in no way stiffly intellectual though a great deal of thought has gone into his playing as can be read from his fine booklet notes. The musical sources used are for instance by no means urtext, with Esfahani declaring that, when it comes to a definitive version of this music, “such a unicorn does not exist”. He further lays down a challenge, that “there is at least one note in my interpretation (I shall be curious if anyone finds it) that comes from a teacher’s creative suggestion at some point…” I haven’t managed to spot such a thing, but the point is not to get hung up too much on any one copy or edition of this work, with Bach himself known to have made plenty of revisions over time. Esfahani also mentions that he has a greater interest in the dramatic qualities rather than the technical content in these pieces, and this is a very effective part of his expressive armoury. Without sounding mannered, there is plenty of emphasis on Bach’s scrunchy dissonances, as in that remarkable Prelude in B flat minor; as well as revelling in the sheer sonority of the excellent instrument to hand, as in that opening bass note in the Prelude in E flat major. Esfahani keeps us on our toes in this way, maintaining fascination from beginning to end of each piece, and therefore the whole cycle.
From making early morning cassette recordings from BBC Radio 3 of Gustav Leonhardt’s WTC back in the 1970s via countless versions since, I’ve always had a soft spot for The Well-Tempered Clavier played on harpsichord. Hearing Esfahani is a true joy, and I’ll be first in the queue when his Book II is released. Comparisons need to be made however, and one more recent favourite has been Christine Schornsheim on the Capriccio label (review). Putting this on after a big dose of Esfahani is an education into different approaches to managing expression in the WTC. Schornsheim uses rubato, but not to quite the extent of Esfahani, more often than not throwing in micro-stretches of time rather than allowing for grander gestures. Once you slip into either player’s world both take over quite easily and soon quell any doubts one might have acquired through their differences. Schornsheim is less dramatic than Esfahani, but can be both serious and playful, creating compelling musical narratives with apparent ease. Going back to Esfahani you are captured by his eloquence and subtlety of touch at the keyboard, and so it goes on…
Collectors of Mahan Esfahani’s recordings for Hyperion will acquire this without a second thought, and collectors of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier should not hesitate to put it on their wish list. If I have any criticism it is the addition of a reprise of the Prelude No. 1 in C major as a final track, popping up like that Aria that closes the Goldberg Variations. Bach’s ending in that B minor fugue is so definitive that being yanked back to the beginning as if nothing had happened is, in my opinion, a surprising misstep. I would however be deeply surprised should anyone be disappointed by this excellent recording, and it will certainly be going onto my easy-access shelf next to Angela Hewitt for the foreseeable future.
Dominy Clements
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