PRESS REVIEWS
J.S. BACH, TWO-PART INVENTIONS & SINFONIAS
Der 32-järige italienische Pianist Andrea Bacchetti wurde bereits als Kind von Musiker-Legenden wie Karajan, Magaloff
oder Horszowski gefördert. Heute gastiert er regelmäßig in den großen Konzerthäusern Europas. Sein Bach-Spiel widersetzt
sich konventionellen Interpretationsansatzen, er versucht, eigene ästhetische Vorstellungen zu etablieren.
Tatsächlich vermag es Bacchetti, Grenzen auszuloten und diese gegebenenfalls auch zu sprengen. Das Ergebnis irritiert
und beglückt gleichermaßen.The 32-year-old Italian pianist Andrea Bacchetti was encouraged as a child by legendary musicians such as Karajan, Magaloff and Horszowski. Today he is a regular guest in the major concert halls of Europe. His Bach playing resists conventional approaches to interpretation, he tries to establish his own aesthetic ideas. In fact, Bacchetti is able to explore boundaries and, if necessary, to break them. The result irritates and delights in equal measure.
MDR Figaro, take 5 klassisch
www.mdr.de, 13. Juni 2009 - newsroom
Andrea Bacchetti is one of more compelling Bach players around. Intensely personal, musically discriminating at a very
high level, highly sophisticated pianistically, a polyphonist who seems to keep several conversations going at once, he is
a many ways reminiscent of the early Gould, though far more rythmically flexible and vocally inflected. ... Others, like
myself, will find much of it deeply moving in its introspective contemplation, its suppleness of line, its masterly control
of tone at every level of the dynamic spectrum (though nothing is ever remotely forced). Thisis playing of such intimacy
that the listener may even feel intrusive. ... Very much unlike Gould, there is often the feeling that this is how Chopin
might have played Bach.
The Pianist's record shelf
PIANO, July/August 2009 - Bettina Neumann
Andrea Bacchetti is a 31-year-old Italian pianist ... who so far he hasn't appeared in the UK. As this pair of discs shows,
that is our loss. There are some very fine Bach keyboard players around, but I find his highly individual style uniquely
enjoyable and uplifting. Bacchetti's way of playing is hard to characterise, and impossible yo in a single word. He is
supremely concerned to articulate every voice, but that doesn't mean that his playing is didactic, as one sometimes feels
that András Schiff's is. Schiff plays in a mellower style, bur there is still the feeling that underneath the performance
is a covert lecture. My overall preference among recent pianists has been for Murray Perahia, who I suppose is bound to be
called Romantic by some ... Bacchetti, on the other hand, strikes a fine balance, making the piano work on his own (or, one
might say, Bach's) terms while avoiding the instrument's potentially Romantic character ... There isn't a dull moment in this
album's two-and-a-half hours; even the simplest pieces - though all Bach's simplicities are deceptive - turn out to be gems
under Bacchetti's passionate fingers ... It goes without saying that the Two-Part Inventions and the Sinfonias (otherwise
Three-Part Inventions) are masterpieces, even if each piece lasts only last for two minutes. Bacchetti, like all great Bach
players, endows every note with Iife, to the point of fanaticism ...
Reviews, disc of the month - Genius in Bach's smallest invention
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE September 2009 - Michael Tanner
... I feel obliged to put Bacchetti against Glenn Gould. By no means are even the majority of his lovely readings of the Two
Part Inventions directly "Gouldesque", but starting with the crisper Fazioli piano sound, there are enough cases to
back up the comparison. ... I hear Gould somewhat in the measured approach Bacchetti takes to ornamentation, to some of the
well-planned contrasts in articulation. Bacchetti is a good deal less "cool" than Gould, applying his own individual
taste when it comes to a certain amount of romantic treatment of the music. ... Beautiful atmosphere and legato playing are
again aspects of Bacchetti's playing which bring me back every time, and it is in these movements that Bacchetti imbues these
relatively simple works with a similar power to something like the Goldberg Variations. If you don't know these works and have
until now felt that they won't offer the same effect as that famous cycle, then here is a very good place to have your
misconceptions seriously and pleasantly re-assessed ... if your Bach keyboard collection needs broadening this is a one-stop
place to take you well beyond familiar orbits and into the realms of gently fascinating discovery.
REVIEW - Bargain of the Month
www.musicweb-international.com - September 2009 - (Dominy Clements)
More than two-and-a-half hours of Bach's solo keyboard music, sensitively played by Andrea Bacchetti on this double CD. A complete
and compact remedy toi the frantic pace of modern life.
Presenter's choice
Classic FM, September 2009 - (John Brunning)
Andrea Bacchetti's playing of Bach is fluid, fluent, flexible and melliflous. The 32-year-old pianist has an impressive CV, with
an international career and numerous recordings to his credit, including a CD of Bach's English Suites and a DVD of the Goldberg
Variations, nominated for the first prize of Italian critics in 2008. ... there is much here that pleases and delights the ear.
Bacchetti must like E major, because his performance of the Two-Part Invention in that key is among the best that I have heard,
with a sustained legato as its two equal melodic lines proceed in contrary motion, while Bach's occasional demisemiquavers (32nd
notes) are layed lightly yet with firm finger control. His trills are precise and never "bumpy", even in the left hand.
Occasionally he sounds too earnest: the D major Three-Part Invention sounds ponderous rather than jolly, while the next one in D
minor sounds lugubrious and heavy, producing an artificial "profundity" that pre-empts the F minor Three-Part Invention,
where Bacchetti invests its anguished chromaticism with a gravitas that evokes the B minor Fugue from Book 1 of the 48. While it
is nice to have so many of Bach's miniatures gathered togheter, they would have worked better divided between this disc and an
eventual new one, which would also allow us to hear Bacchetti's lovely player in larger, more sustained musical structures.
Instrumental
INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW, September 2009 - (Stephen Pruslin)
Andrea Bacchetti is a pianist at home across the whole extent of the piano literature, with his Bach playing well able to rank
alongside the finest present-day exponents, as those who are familiar with his DVD of the Goldberg Variations will surely concur.
lt's an impression this Dynamic release - intelligently programmed so that each disc features contrast ing multi-movement works -
amply consolidates. ... As befits the playing, the recorded sound lacks nothing in clarity or immediacy yet never veers to the
harsh or unyielding in its capturing of Bacchetti's tone. The booklet note is succinct but informative and readably translated,
while the booklet presentation makes no attempt to situate the performer above the music. Strongly recommended, not least to those
performers and listeners who have investigated the "48" or the Goldbergs and are looking to further their exploration
of Bach's endlessly absorbing keyboard output, to which Bacchetti will hopefully return in due course.
CDs Selection
INTERNATIONAL PIANO, No 65 September/October 2009 - (Richard Whitehouse)
I guess that it is appropriate a pianist named Bacchetti would be a Bach specialist. I have commented favorably in the past on his
Goldberg Variations (Art Haus 101 447, Mar/Apr 2008) and his English Suites (Decca 476 3127, Jan/Feb 2009). All of the Inventions
and Sinfonias are here, but only one French Suite and one Partita. There are 20 Little Preludes, BWV 924-943, and Bacchetti gives
us 18 of them, along with a Prelude originally written for lute (in C minor, BWV 999). He finishes with a group composed of a
Fughetta, two Fugues, three paired Preludes and Fughettas, and a single Prelude and Fugue. All fascinating stuff, impeccably recorded
and a most enjoyable release. Musicality, phrasing and clarity of voices characterize his Inventions and Sinfonias. ... Making the
kind of music that Bacchetti does might not be expected of the average pianist, but is glorious for those of us fortunate enough to
have this recording.
Critic Review
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE - September/October 2009 - (Harrington)
Judging from past releases and the present double-CD set, Andrea Bacchetti concocted a Bach style based upon deliberate and
drawn-out tempi, rounded vocally oriented phrasing, and a way of insidiously shifting legato and detached articulation that manages
to make everything sound connected, if sometimes by a thread. He loves to apply gradual diminuendos at cadence points, much as a
seasoned, eventempered driver approaches stop lights. ... However, throughout the little Preludes and Fugues, Bacchetti allows his
luminous sonority to soar without pressure or fuss. Listen to him work his tonal magic in the A minor Prelude, BWV931: the music
takes less than a minute, yet the pianist says it all.
Reviews, Instrumental - A considered Bach recital that sometimes scales the heights
GRAMOPHONE - October 2009 - (Jed Distler)
... Dupla CD-t készített Andrea Bacchetti. Az invenciók mellé ö is egy francia szvitet (E-dúr, BWV 817) választott, valamint a c-moll
partitát (BWV 826), három sorozat kis prelúdiumot és hét önálló Bach-kompoziciót. ... igen kedvezö kritikai visszhangja alapján
jelentékeny Bach-zongoristára számítottam ...
Double CD produced by Andrea Bacchetti. In addition to the inventions, he also chose a French suite (E major, BWV 817), as well as the C minor partita (BWV 826), three series of small preludes and seven independent Bach compositions. ... based on his very favorable critical response, I expected him to be a significant Bach pianist ...
Double CD produced by Andrea Bacchetti. In addition to the inventions, he also chose a French suite (E major, BWV 817), as well as the C minor partita (BWV 826), three series of small preludes and seven independent Bach compositions. ... based on his very favorable critical response, I expected him to be a significant Bach pianist ...
KLASSZIKUS-HANGLEMEZ
GRAMOFON - OSZ 2009 - (Molnár Szabolcs)
... Como ya demostrara en el reciente cedé dedicado a las sonatas de Galuppi (RITMO de marzo de este año), Bacchetti es un pianista
riguroso estilísticamente: su perfecta dicción, su fraseo o su claridad de líneas dejan bien claro este aspecto. Pese a este rigor,
el italiano no renuncia a ofrecer una personal musicalidad que se apoya en los recursos del piano moderno. Un equilibrio acertadísimo
que otros, como Schiff, han alcanzado con gran maestría. Es un placer escuchar así los pequeños preludios e invenciones a dos voces,
que adquieren Wla importancia inusitada; por no hablar de las obras "mayores", cuya riqueza innata se ve multiplicada.
Disco, por tanto, a tener en cuenta, y pianista claramente a seguir.
... As he already demonstrated in the recent CD devoted to the Galuppi sonatas (RHYTHM from March of this year), Bacchetti is a stylistically rigorous pianist: his perfect diction, his phrasing or his clear lines make this aspect very clear. Despite this rigor, the Italian does not give up offering a personal musicality that is based on the resources of the modern piano. A very successful balance that others, like Schiff, have achieved with great mastery. It is a pleasure thus to listen to the little preludes and inventions for two voices, which take on unusual importance; not to mention the "greater" works, whose innate wealth is multiplied. Disco, therefore, to take into account, and a pianist clearly to follow.
... As he already demonstrated in the recent CD devoted to the Galuppi sonatas (RHYTHM from March of this year), Bacchetti is a stylistically rigorous pianist: his perfect diction, his phrasing or his clear lines make this aspect very clear. Despite this rigor, the Italian does not give up offering a personal musicality that is based on the resources of the modern piano. A very successful balance that others, like Schiff, have achieved with great mastery. It is a pleasure thus to listen to the little preludes and inventions for two voices, which take on unusual importance; not to mention the "greater" works, whose innate wealth is multiplied. Disco, therefore, to take into account, and a pianist clearly to follow.
Discos crítica de la A a la Z -
E - Excelente
RITMO n. 823 Octubre 2009 - (J.C.G.)
Andrea bacchetti graba un modelico CD de Invenciones y Sinfonias. A sus 32 años Andrea Bacchetti, con una amplia discografía a sus
espaldas en la que destacan sus lecturas de Berio, Cherubini y Galuppi, añade una nueva referencia a su celebrado repertorio bachiano
tras las Suites inglesas y las Variaciones Goldberg. El pianista vuelve a recurrir a un instrumento moderno para recorrer entre otras
piezas las quince Invenciones a dos voces BWV 772-786 o las quinceSinfonías BWV 787-801, ofreciendo más de 150 minutos de musicalidad
y belleza sonora. Y es que sin demostrarse riguroso en cuanto a criterios histórica y filológicamente correctos lo cierto es que el
intérprete firma unas versiones convincentes, sin ceder al gesto ampuloso, a la retórica vacía o al virtuosismo de género más efectista.
Son las suyas traducciones que van más allá de la simple corrección y caracterizadas por la sobriedad, la claridad, la exactitud y el
intimismo ... En definitiva, un trabajo que revela la sensibilidad y larga comprensión del universo Bach por parte de un mesurado
Bacchetti.
Andrea Bacchetti records a model CD of Inventions and Symphonies. At 32 years old, Andrea Bacchetti, with an extensive discography behind him in which his readings of Berio, Cherubini and Galuppi stand out, adds a new reference to his celebrated Bach repertoire after the English Suites and the Goldberg Variations. The pianist once again resorts to a modern instrument to go through, among other pieces, the fifteen Inventions for two voices BWV 772-786 or the fifteen Symphonies BWV 787-801, offering more than 150 minutes of musicality and sound beauty. And it is that without proving rigorous in terms of historically and philologically correct criteria, the truth is that the interpreter signs some convincing versions, without giving in to the bombastic gesture, empty rhetoric or the most gimmicky genre virtuosity. His translations go beyond simple correction and are characterized by sobriety, clarity, accuracy and intimacy... In short, a work that reveals the sensitivity and extensive understanding of the Bach universe by a measured Bacchetti
Andrea Bacchetti records a model CD of Inventions and Symphonies. At 32 years old, Andrea Bacchetti, with an extensive discography behind him in which his readings of Berio, Cherubini and Galuppi stand out, adds a new reference to his celebrated Bach repertoire after the English Suites and the Goldberg Variations. The pianist once again resorts to a modern instrument to go through, among other pieces, the fifteen Inventions for two voices BWV 772-786 or the fifteen Symphonies BWV 787-801, offering more than 150 minutes of musicality and sound beauty. And it is that without proving rigorous in terms of historically and philologically correct criteria, the truth is that the interpreter signs some convincing versions, without giving in to the bombastic gesture, empty rhetoric or the most gimmicky genre virtuosity. His translations go beyond simple correction and are characterized by sobriety, clarity, accuracy and intimacy... In short, a work that reveals the sensitivity and extensive understanding of the Bach universe by a measured Bacchetti
Antigua - Al servicio de Bach
DIVERDI, n. 185 Octubre 2009 - (Luis José Rodriguez Viejo)
It's a beautiful rendition, with an intelligent and orderly appearance that hides a delicate brilliance. The beautiful ornamental
notes, thought to be possible only on the harpsichord, are naturally also present in the modern piano, while Bacchetti's grace notes
are light and never heavy. ... Born in 1977 and living in Genoa, Italy, he is a precocious genius whose talent was recognized by Karajan
and Magalov at the age of 15. Bacchetti's "Inventions" are truly eloquent. ... From time to time, creative and diverse
articulations illuminate the melodic lines, creating a world of exquisite music. This is an original way to enjoy the performance of
Bach's works. ... It is a very interesting recording that makes us appreciate the fact that if Bach had encountered the modern piano,
he would have been able to create more sonically "explored" musical compositions...
Chamber / Instrumental - EDITOR'S RECOMMENDED
THE RECORD GEIJUTSU - November 2009 (Tami Nodaira)
... El Bach del italiano que es rico en idea y prolífico en ornamentación, sugiere una intelectualidad latente que le priva de
cierta emociones pero que le proporciona una visión de conjunto envidiable ... La creatividad incisiva del intérprete también afecta
a las articulaciones, que sumamente desarrolladas reinan en este Bach tan elaborado como nomotético ... través de unos tempi
deliberadamente lentos, Bacchetti propone libertad, introspección y cuidado sonoro. Porque es un Bach sobrio y minucioso que imparte
una realidad fértil en ideas, sabedor de su potencial y que es fiel al espíritu más barroco. Ìntimo y estricto, Bacchetti usa su
intrumento sin abusar de él y procura siempre la ponderación expresiva que huye de cualquier fraseo que sugiera romanticismo o
exageración. Es una visión erudita que mira hacia el horizonte , donde caben delicadeza y mucha fantasía. En definitiva, un enfoque
sumamente interesante que promueve la poética del barroco con el instrumento de nuestros días a través de un músico sensible y sólido,
plenamente sabedor de lo que se trae entre manos.
The Bach of the Italian, who is rich in ideas and prolific in ornamentation, suggests a latent intellectuality that deprives him of certain emotions but gives him an enviable overview... The incisive creativity of the performer also affects the articulations, which are highly developed reign in this Bach as elaborate as it is nomothetic... through deliberately slow tempi, Bacchetti proposes freedom, introspection and sound care. Because he is a sober and meticulous Bach who imparts a reality fertile in ideas, aware of his potential and who is faithful to the most baroque spirit. Intimate and strict, Bacchetti uses his instrument without abusing it and always seeks expressive weighting that avoids any phrasing that suggests romanticism or exaggeration. It is an erudite vision that looks towards the horizon, where delicacy and a lot of fantasy fit. In short, an extremely interesting approach that promotes the poetics of the baroque with the instrument of our days through a sensitive and solid musician, fully aware of what he is up to
The Bach of the Italian, who is rich in ideas and prolific in ornamentation, suggests a latent intellectuality that deprives him of certain emotions but gives him an enviable overview... The incisive creativity of the performer also affects the articulations, which are highly developed reign in this Bach as elaborate as it is nomothetic... through deliberately slow tempi, Bacchetti proposes freedom, introspection and sound care. Because he is a sober and meticulous Bach who imparts a reality fertile in ideas, aware of his potential and who is faithful to the most baroque spirit. Intimate and strict, Bacchetti uses his instrument without abusing it and always seeks expressive weighting that avoids any phrasing that suggests romanticism or exaggeration. It is an erudite vision that looks towards the horizon, where delicacy and a lot of fantasy fit. In short, an extremely interesting approach that promotes the poetics of the baroque with the instrument of our days through a sensitive and solid musician, fully aware of what he is up to
Discos críticas de la A a la Z
SCHERZO - N. 246 Noviembre 2009 - (Emili Blasco)
Zu Bach ist alles gesagt und alles gespielt, glaubt man, und nach Glenn Gould gibt es keinen wirklich neuartigen Zugang zu Bach
Klaviermusik am Konzertflügel. Alles Irrtümr, wie einen der 1977 geborene Pianist Andrea Bacchetti mit seiner Doppel-CD belehrt. Die
"Goldberg-Variationen" und die "Englischen Suiten" hat er schon früher aufgenommen, jetzt präsentiert er die zwei
- und dreistimmigen Inventionen (beziehungsweise Sinfonien) und andere Werk. ... Und hier werden dem Kontrapunktiker Bach
klavieristische Zukunftvisionen abgerungen. Die Es-Dur-Sinfonia klingt wie Haydn, das g-Moll-Stück wie ein "Moment musical".
... Bacchetti versöhnt die Bach-Puristen mit dem Konzertflügel.
Everything has been said and played about Bach, one believes, and after Glenn Gould there is no really new approach to Bach piano music on the grand piano. All mistakes, as pianist Andrea Bacchetti, born in 1977, teaches with his double CD. He has previously recorded the "Goldberg Variations" and the "English Suites", now he is presenting the two- and three-part inventions (or symphonies) and other works. ... And here piano-like visions of the future are wrested from the counterpoint player Bach. The E-flat major symphony sounds like Haydn, the G minor piece like a "Moment musical". ... Bacchetti reconciles the Bach purists with the grand piano
Everything has been said and played about Bach, one believes, and after Glenn Gould there is no really new approach to Bach piano music on the grand piano. All mistakes, as pianist Andrea Bacchetti, born in 1977, teaches with his double CD. He has previously recorded the "Goldberg Variations" and the "English Suites", now he is presenting the two- and three-part inventions (or symphonies) and other works. ... And here piano-like visions of the future are wrested from the counterpoint player Bach. The E-flat major symphony sounds like Haydn, the G minor piece like a "Moment musical". ... Bacchetti reconciles the Bach purists with the grand piano
Kammermusik / Klavier - Bachs Garten
Music 
Sound
FONO FORUM, Januar 2010 - (Richard Lorber)
Geht es um die Musik Johann Sebastian Bachs, beschränken sich die meisten Pianisten auf das ein e oder andere. Ganz anders ist der Ansatz
des italienischen Pianisten Andrea Bacchetti. Er fasst auf zwei CDs die Französischen Suiten, die zwei- und dreistimmigen Inventionen und
einige Präludien zusammen. Wo andere sich Stück für Stück an das Repertoire annähern, da möchte Bacchetti mit jugendlichem Charme seine
eigene Lesart zeigen. Und die ist speziell. Sicherlich waren Verzierungen in der Barockzeit üblich. Auf einer Aufnahme sind sie gewöhnungsbed
ürftig. Doch wer es nicht streng puristisch mag , der kann sich überraschen lassen. Nicht Technik, sondern Affekte stehen in Bacchettis Spiel
im Vordergrund und er fügt damit die vielen kurzen Stücke zu einem sehr persönlichen Klangmosaik zusammen.
When it comes to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, most pianists limit themselves to one thing or the other. The approach of the Italian pianist Andrea Bacchetti is completely different. He summarizes the French Suites, the two- and three-part inventions and some preludes on two CDs. Where others approach the repertoire bit by bit, Bacchetti wants to show his own reading with youthful charm. And that is special. Certainly decorations were common in the Baroque period. On a recording they take some getting used to. But if you don't like it strictly puristic, you can be surprised. Not technique, but emotions are in the foreground in Bacchetti's playing and he combines the many short pieces into a very personal sound mosaic
When it comes to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, most pianists limit themselves to one thing or the other. The approach of the Italian pianist Andrea Bacchetti is completely different. He summarizes the French Suites, the two- and three-part inventions and some preludes on two CDs. Where others approach the repertoire bit by bit, Bacchetti wants to show his own reading with youthful charm. And that is special. Certainly decorations were common in the Baroque period. On a recording they take some getting used to. But if you don't like it strictly puristic, you can be surprised. Not technique, but emotions are in the foreground in Bacchetti's playing and he combines the many short pieces into a very personal sound mosaic
Höreindruck
PIANO NEWS, n. 1/2010, Januar/Februar 2010 - (Anja Renczikowski)
... Here is some enjoyable Bach playing. Bacchetti is an Italian pianist in his early thirties who has recorded Bach previously ... His
approach is detailed and expressive but not quirky, and he is sparing of "imitation harpsichord" staccato. Most of the time he
is judicious in his use of ornamentation ... Above all, Bacchetti's tempos are well chosen, and once he sets a tempo he does not vary it
too radically, nor does he treat every cadence like a traffic intersection by applying the brakes on approach. ... Recording quality is
good; timing is generous. Recommended.
Archive - CD Review
FANFARE, January/February 2010 - (Phillip Scott)
Si la serenidad es virtud, no hay duda ninguna de que el pianista Andrea Bacchetti, bien conocido en España, tiene consigo todos los
triunfos. Tocando Bach, se enfrenta a la dificultad de lo más fácil. La música desnuda de la polifonía a dos voces y su dibujo minucioso
sirve como punto de partida hacia las sinfonías y otras obras de entidad más abundante. En todo ello, la originalidad de Bacchetti es la
humildad, y el afán de su versión el hacer clara, diáfana y coherente esta música que suena interesante, afín al discurso metódico de un
intérprete para quien es habitual transitar por la música de hoy y que, si vuelve a Bach, es para ofrecerlo sin veleidades, haciendo del
instrumento un medio capaz de recrear la estricta calidad de semejantes ejemplos de ingeniería musical.
If serenity is a virtue, there is no doubt that the pianist Andrea Bacchetti, well known in Spain, has all the triumphs with him. Playing Bach, he faces the difficulty of the easiest. The naked music of two-voice polyphony and its meticulous drawing serve as a starting point towards symphonies and other works of a more abundant entity. In all of this, Bacchetti's originality is humility, and the desire of his version to make this interesting-sounding music clear, transparent and coherent, akin to the methodical discourse of an interpreter for whom it is common to travel through today's music and who , if he returns to Bach, it is to offer it without whims, making the instrument a medium capable of recreating the strict quality of similar examples of musical engineering.
If serenity is a virtue, there is no doubt that the pianist Andrea Bacchetti, well known in Spain, has all the triumphs with him. Playing Bach, he faces the difficulty of the easiest. The naked music of two-voice polyphony and its meticulous drawing serve as a starting point towards symphonies and other works of a more abundant entity. In all of this, Bacchetti's originality is humility, and the desire of his version to make this interesting-sounding music clear, transparent and coherent, akin to the methodical discourse of an interpreter for whom it is common to travel through today's music and who , if he returns to Bach, it is to offer it without whims, making the instrument a medium capable of recreating the strict quality of similar examples of musical engineering.
Música - Discos / Jazz
ABC, 31 de enero de 2010 - (Alberto Gonzáles Lapuente)
Bacchetti confirms the special harmony with Bach, of which he performs in this double CD the Inventions for 2 and 3 voices, the Partita
n.2 and a wide choice of Preludes, fugues and various fughettes. Crystalline clarity, softness of touch and respect for the text, with
some freedom in the embellishments made, moreover, always with great elegance. Exemplary.
News corner - CD
Musica Università, nr.3 February 2010 - (gd')
... dos nuevos ejemplos del indiscutible talento pianístico de Andrea Bacchetti, un ejercicio en el que la extrema claridad de la
articulación es animada, iluminada, por la exquisita musicalidad del artista genovés, por su extraordinaria capacidad para hacer
cantar al piano. La interpretación de las Suites Inglesas para Decca destaca por el sonido brillante y afilado, muy timbrado y en punta,
que exhibe el pianista. Un sonido que se resuelve, siempre con pulcritud y equilibrio, en un fraseo tenso y fibroso, marcado e incisivo.
... Un Bach luminoso y vibrante, apolíneo y exacto, técnicamente sobresaliente, que contrasta en cierta medida con el que encontramos en
el disco Dynamic. El sonido de Bacchetti no ha perdido el brillo y el atractivo tímbrico que lo caracterizan, pero la pulsación se ha
vuelto más cálida y profunda, dotando a cada nota de mayor peso, de un significado y un sentido propios. El fraseo, siempre fluido y
musical, mantiene como señas de identidad la claridad expositiva y la independencia de las voces, pero su discurrir resulta más flexible
y sugerente, menos rectilíneo, de una serenidad intensamente poética. Los contrastes dinámicos, tímbricos, expresivos o de tempi son ahora
más tenues, menos acusados, y se resuelven con extraordinaria sutileza. Bacchetti y su Fazioli nos ofrecen un discurso esculpido a golpe
de matiz sonoro en el que las posibilidades expresivas del piano son exploradas con mimo y sensibilidad. ...
two new examples of Andrea Bacchetti's indisputable pianistic talent, an exercise in which the extreme clarity of articulation is animated, illuminated, by the exquisite musicality of the Genoese artist, by his extraordinary ability to make the piano sing. The interpretation of the English Suites for Decca stands out for the bright and sharp sound, very timbre and pointed, that the pianist exhibits. A sound that is resolved, always with neatness and balance, in a tense and fibrous phrasing, marked and incisive. ... A luminous and vibrant Bach, Apollonian and exact, technically outstanding, which contrasts to a certain extent with what we find on the Dynamic album. Bacchetti's sound has not lost its characteristic brilliance and timbre appeal, but the pulsation has become warmer and deeper, giving each note greater weight, its own meaning and meaning. The phrasing, always fluid and musical, maintains expository clarity and the independence of the voices as hallmarks, but its flow is more flexible and suggestive, less rectilinear, with an intensely poetic serenity. Dynamic, timbre, expressive or tempo contrasts are now softer, less pronounced, and are resolved with extraordinary subtlety. Bacchetti and his Fazioli offer us a speech sculpted by sound nuance in which the expressive possibilities of the piano are explored with care and sensitivity ...
two new examples of Andrea Bacchetti's indisputable pianistic talent, an exercise in which the extreme clarity of articulation is animated, illuminated, by the exquisite musicality of the Genoese artist, by his extraordinary ability to make the piano sing. The interpretation of the English Suites for Decca stands out for the bright and sharp sound, very timbre and pointed, that the pianist exhibits. A sound that is resolved, always with neatness and balance, in a tense and fibrous phrasing, marked and incisive. ... A luminous and vibrant Bach, Apollonian and exact, technically outstanding, which contrasts to a certain extent with what we find on the Dynamic album. Bacchetti's sound has not lost its characteristic brilliance and timbre appeal, but the pulsation has become warmer and deeper, giving each note greater weight, its own meaning and meaning. The phrasing, always fluid and musical, maintains expository clarity and the independence of the voices as hallmarks, but its flow is more flexible and suggestive, less rectilinear, with an intensely poetic serenity. Dynamic, timbre, expressive or tempo contrasts are now softer, less pronounced, and are resolved with extraordinary subtlety. Bacchetti and his Fazioli offer us a speech sculpted by sound nuance in which the expressive possibilities of the piano are explored with care and sensitivity ...
Discos, novedades discográficas - Fiebre bachiana
www.mundoclasico.com, 19 de febrero de 2010 - (Ignacio Gonzáles Pinto)
... praise with the broadest smile and without the shadow of a reserve the creation of Andrea Bacchetti: an ideal reading for singability
for the calibrated touch, from which derives the truest sonority given by the modern piano to the brilliant pages, and for the conversational
tension of the offer. In this regard, among the many highlights, listen to the two-part Invention n.14 in B flat major. BWV 785 to capture
the chosen musical and, one might say, spiritual consonance between the luminous grandeur of the text and the enlightened intelligence
that guides Bacchetti's hand. In the soft plasticity of the accents, the pianist finds winks and colour, dialogical logic, always within
the ambit of an aristocratic discretion, very elegant and affectionate rather than lovable, and resolves any aesthetic and, worse,
philological ballast into real music.
Reviews
artistic quality 10 - technical quality 10
SUONO nr. 438, March 2010 - (Umberto Padroni)
... the thirty-year-old Andrea Bacchetti has a marked, deep and tenacious attention to Bach. Of this supreme musical genius Bacchetti had
already performed the English Suites and the Goldberg Variations on video, appearing to be an interpreter of great artistic excellence in
Baroque keyboard playing. Now Bacchetti has returned to Bach and with an attention inextricably linked to poetic imagination he has
delivered various cycles of works to the disc starting with the Inventions for two voices BWV 772-786 and the Sinfonie BWV 787-801. In the
same engravings the French Suite n° 6 in E major, the Partita n° 2 in C minor see the light. The Twelve Little Preludes, then seven little
preludes from the Clavierbuchlein for Wilhelm Friedemenn Bach and the group of other little Fugues, Fughettes and Preludes with various
cataloguing. On the whole we listen to Bacchetti playing Bach for two and a half hours and we have the confirmation of an incomparable
technical security and a stylistic sensibility of great thickness. An absolutely convincing listen.
CDs CLASSICAL
FEDELTA' DEL SUONO nr.175, July 2010 - (Luigi Bellingardi)
... I was delighted with the album by the Italian label Dynamic, whose core are small pieces: Preludes and Fugettas from various collections,
Inventions for two and three voices (properly called symphonies here); larger cyclical forms are represented by the 6th French Suite in E
major and the 2nd Partita in C minor. I must admit that I listened to both albums many times, unable to part with the phenomenal creation of
the Italian: one cannot forget his sensitivity, wonderful sound and exceptional interpretation of Bach's compositions. It is admirable that
these little works, familiar to all piano students, sound under Bacchetti's fingers as unquestionable masterpieces; they intrigue and arouse
admiration, they are beautifully made. It is interesting to listen to them as "full-fledged" opuses, not limiting to their pedagogical
function - the discussed interpretation is something fascinating in this respect. I will supplement the list of advantages of this item with
a very good technical implementation; the same Fazioli instrument as before is characterized by transparency, brightness and a subtle, nice
sound. Both titles prove that in the field of performing Johann Sebastian Bach's music on a modern piano, we are still dealing with outstanding
achievements. Such are the creations of Andrea Bacchetti: concentrated, modest, simple, and at the same time beautiful and masterly, vividly
speaking to the recipient. I listened to them with real pleasure.
Plytoteka (Record Library)
Muzyka n. 120, July 2010 - (Pawel Chmielowski)
... Bacchetti is a young Italian player whose accomplishments make him a candidate for the next in the Italian line of piano players -
Michelangeli, Ciani, Pollini. In his case, I would not be surprised if biography elements make it all the way into his interpretations,
giving these life-like dimensions in addition to pianistic technique. I am thinking of strength in the face of some adversity, maturity,
and a strong will to put all there is into balance. I strongly recommend these recordings and look forward to hearing so much more. Not
being sure what Andrea will commit next to disc, I wonder if the Bach in Italian becomes Bac(c)h-etti...
CD reviews
www.amazon.com September 8th, 2010 - (fCh)
... rigorous, lucid, aware readings. The touch is soft and luminous, the polyphony of the Fugen and Fughetten grainy with extreme
clarity; everywhere one has the impression of a performer who aims to "disappear" in front of the work, to allow the listener to speak
directly. Even when his voice is heard more clearly, for example in the famous Invention n. 8 in F major, rendered with a touch of
lovely humor in the passage and in the staccato, Bacchetti remains an interpreter as involved as he is discreet, little inclined to
virtuosic ostentation; after all, his spectacular gestures seem extraneous to his highly refined technique ... in short, our pianist
manages to never disappoint expectations, and at the end of the journey he leaves us satisfied and enriched by the new comparison with
these masterpieces of keyboard literature. And it's not really a trivial merit.
CD of the Month: Bacchetti's shining Bach
il Giornale della Musica, nr. 277, January 2011 - (Maurizio Giani)
"Andrea Bacchetti's latest recording of Bach's great set of variations is one of the most wonderful things I have ever heard",
wrote critic Michael Tanner in BBC Music Magazine. The Italian pianist has recorded the masterly Goldberg Variations three times in his
life, with his latest version, on the Dynamic label, out earlier this year. ... «I particularly love the universality and
"eternal" quality of his music. It transcends epochs, and can be performed on any instrument. Then there's also his polyphony,
which for me represents something indescribable, like a sense of strength, power and soul, and something uncontrollable. Bach is essential
for the musician, like the sea for the fish. Luciano Berio, whom I studied and worked with from childhood, always told me that Bach must
be my daily bread» ...
The Italian pianist on JS Bach, Glenn Gould and playing in England
www.classical-music.com August 24th, 2011 - Rebecca Franks
Bach's Klaviermusic (including the 2-Part Inventions and the rather more complex 3-Part Sinfonias) was mainly written in Köthen from 1717
to 1723 for Bach's eldest son, Wilhelm Friedmann, and the Sixth French Suite and Second Partita also seem to come from the end of this
period. So for Andrea Bacchetti to include them in his survey seems very appropriate, and they are wholly welcome musically. The monothematic
Inventions are simply structured and usually brief, but their very simplicity adds to their immediacy of appeal, with changes of style from
dance to fugue, from expressive writing to canon. Bacchetti, who has already given us a first-rate DVD of the Goldberg Variations (Arthaus
101447), plays them with spontaneous freshness and plenty of expressive life, and these two discs make very appealing listening.
The 1000 Finest Classical Recordings
THE PENGUIN GUIDE 2011 2011 - March, Greenfield, Layton, Czajkowski
As a number of professional reviewers have attested, Bacchetti's manner with Bach on the piano is very easy to take. Currently his
recording of the inventions and sinfonias is my personal favorite. His embellishments are delightful enhancements of Bach's motifs
that feel natural, not at all distracting... an engagement with the material that most listeners, I suspect, will appreciate. I prefer
Bacchetti's Inventions and Sinfonias to the recent Dinnerstein recording which has received many glowing tributes, by the dozen, in
these pages and would like to hear what others make of the relative merits of these two youngish Bach advocates in this material. ...
I would urge Bach collectors to give Bacchetti a try. Bacchetti offers the listener, Bachian masterpieces of great charm, and often,
in the minor mode pieces, music that touches the heart.
CD reviews
www.amazon.com October 15th, 2014 - (TWA Corbies)
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