You can call me Johann. But don't expect me to answer to that.
If you’re expecting me to get through today’s listening without mentioning Glenn Gould, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. For today’s Brilliant Classics CD (performed by Pieter-Jan Belder on Flemish harpsichord) is none other than the famous Goldberg Variations, which was Glenn Gould’s first album, recorded in 1955 for Columbia Records. But that’s another story. […]
Entries Tagged as 'Pieter-Jan Belder'
Day Thirty Four: Goldberg Variations (CD 2-11)
August 30th, 2011 · No Comments · 1741, Bach at 56, BWV 988, Flemish harpsichord, Glenn Gould, Goldberg Variations, Harpsichord, Period Instruments, Pieter-Jan Belder
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Day Thirty Three: Italian Concerto/French Overture (CD 2-10)
August 29th, 2011 · 3 Comments · 1720, 1735, Bach at 35, Bach at 50, BWV 831, BWV 903, BWV 971, CD 2-10, French Overture, Glenn Gould, Harpsichord, Italian Concerto, Italian Concerto in F major Allegro, John William Waterhouse, Miranda the Tempest, Pieter-Jan Belder
If it’s possible, the first composition on this CD is even more recognized (and loved) than the Brandenburg Concertos. It’s so Bach, so Baroque. I know. I know. I’m making a big claim. But listen to it and you’ll see what I mean. I refer, of course, to Italian Concerto in F major (BWV 971), […]
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Day Twenty Nine: Six Partitas, Part Two (CD 2-6)
August 25th, 2011 · No Comments · 1726, Bach at 41, BWV 827, BWV 828, BWV 829, CD 2-6, Flemish harpsichord, Harpsichord, Period Instruments, Period Instruments vs. Contemporary Instruments, Pieter-Jan Belder, Six Partitas Part Two
They say one should confront his/her fears so that they can be overcome and life can be lived with joy again. To that end, I’m reading about the harpsichord on Wikipedia, an excerpt from which tells me this: The harpsichord was most probably invented in the late Middle Ages. By the 16th century, harpsichord makers […]
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Day Twenty Eight: Six Partitas, Part One (CD 2-5)
August 24th, 2011 · No Comments · 1726, Bach at 41, BWV 825, BWV 826, BWV 830, CD 2-5, Glenn Gould, Harpsichord, Pieter-Jan Belder, Six Partitas Part One
If I have one complaint regarding the Brilliant Classics Complete Bach edition it’s this: Too much harpsichord! Or, to put it another way, this edition relies too much on period instruments. Would it have killed anyone to use a contemporary piano to perform The Well-Tempered Clavier? Or the Six Partitas? Unless one is a music […]
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Day Twenty One: Violin Sonatas, Part Two (CD 1-21)
August 17th, 2011 · No Comments · 1717, Bach at 32, BWV 1017, BWV 1018, BWV 1019, BWV 1019 1st version, BWV 1019a, CD 1-21, Harpsichord, Luis Otavio Santos, Pieter-Jan Belder, Three-Instrument Rule, Violin Sonatas
An interesting observation: whereas yesterday’s Violin Sonatas (with its accompanying harpsichord) grated on my nerves, today the music seems more mournful than hurtful. This work definitely violates the Three-Instrument Rule (when a harpsichord is involved, it takes two other instruments to balance out that distinctive-sounding keyboard). And, for my tastes, I think the recording mix […]
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Day Twenty: Violin Sonatas (CD 1-20)
August 16th, 2011 · No Comments · 1717, Bach at 32, BWV 1014, BWV 1015, BWV 1016, CD 1-20, Luis Otavio Santos, Pieter-Jan Belder, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Snakes, Three-Instrument Rule, Violin Sonatas
There’s a line in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark in which Indy (Harrison Ford) outruns a pack of bloodthirsty natives, jumps into a river full of crocodiles, and climbs aboard a water plane that narrowly outruns the poison darts and spears thrown by his pursuers. As the plane takes to the sky, Indy […]
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Day Eight: Concertos For 2 & 3 Harpsichords (CD 1-8)
August 4th, 2011 · No Comments · 1735, BWV 1061, BWV 1062, BWV 1063, BWV 1064, Byrds, CD 1-8, Concertos For 2 and 3 Harpsichords, Menno van Delft, Musica Amphion, Pedal Steel Greats, Pieter-Jan Belder
A couple of decades ago, a buddy of mine — who was into Country Rock (stuff like the Byrds, in their alt-Country Sweetheart of the Rodeo era, and various Country artists) — joked with me about an abhorrent instrument called the pedal steel guitar. I told him I really hated that sound. He said, “Then […]
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Day One: Brandenburg Concerts 1-3 (CD 1-1)
July 28th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Bach at 36, Brandenburg Concertos 1-3, BWV 1046, BWV 1047, BWV 1048, CD 1-1, Christian Ludwig, French horns, Margrave of Brandenburg, Musica Amphion, Period Instruments, Pieter-Jan Belder
Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos 1-2-3 are probably among the 3-4 most-recognized classical recordings in the world, and are one of my personal top four pieces of classical music (after Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik,” “Symphony No. 40 in G minor,” and “Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major”). This Brilliant Classics version of the Brandenburg Concertos was […]
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