JS Bach Partitas Nos 1, 5 & 6 Nils Anders Mortensen (piano) Lawo Classics LWC1249 70:23 mins
Bach’s Six Partitas are the weightiest of his three sets of suites for harpsichord. Published in 1731 with the rather dry-sounding title of ‘Keyboard exercises’ (Clavier-Übung) they contain not only some of his most dramatic preludes, but also racier items such as ‘Scherzo’ and ‘Burlesca’ (both in Partita No. 3) alongside the standard French dances. A substantial two-manual harpsichord with its range of textures is the ideal instrument for these demanding works, but under the right fingers the modern piano can certainly provide an effective range of contrasts and, when all is said and done, the quality of performance is what counts. In the three Partitas presented here, the result is mixed.
The First Partita in B flat has many of qualities that make Mortenson’s performances at times genuinely attractive, at others a touch ordinary. In the gently welcoming Prelude, the shaping of phrases is graceful and the ornamentation idiomatic without feeling at all artificial. In the broader dances there is always attention to detail, but occasionally a routine approach creeps in during more sequential passages and the paired Minuets are disappointingly featureless.
There are similar frustrations with the other two Partitas. The deliciously whimsical ‘Preambulum’ of the Fifth Partita has just the right level of improvisatory humour, and the ‘Toccata’ which opens the final Partita is darkly captivating as are the more substantial dances; and yet the slighter movements are disappointingly routine.
These well-recorded performances are never less than impressive technically, but often they just fail to deliver the complete picture.
Jan Smaczny
