Description
J.S. Bach: French Suites Nos. 3–6, BWV 814–817 – Wolfgang Rübsam, Naxos (Piano CD)
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Product Details
- UPC: 4891030507104
- Catalogue Number: 8.550710
- Brand/Label: Naxos
- Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
- Performer: Wolfgang Rübsam, piano
- Release Year: 1994 (recorded November 1991)
- Genre: Classical – Piano/Baroque
- Country of Producing: Germany
Product Features
- Format: Audio CD, DDD (fully digital recording), Stereo
- Total playing time: 65:46
- Cover artwork: Assembly in a Park by Watteau
- Rated 5 stars by Classic CD magazine (sticker on case, as pictured)
Overview
Bach's French Suites are smaller and more intimate than his English Suites — no big preludes, no showy toccatas, just a run of dance movements that reward a light, conversational touch. Wolfgang Rübsam, better known to some collectors for his organ recordings, plays these four suites (Nos. 3 through 6) on piano with exactly that sensibility: clear voicing, unhurried tempos, and phrasing that lets each dance keep its own character instead of blurring into the next. Suite No. 6 in particular opens up as the set progresses, with an unusually elaborate run of closing movements — a Menuet polonais and a Petit Menuet alongside the expected Bourrée and Gigue. Recorded at the Clara Wieck Auditorium in Heidelberg in November 1991, the piano sound is warm and close without excess reverb, well suited to music built on intimacy rather than scale. A well-reviewed, unpretentious way into Bach's keyboard suites for anyone who finds the Well-Tempered Clavier a bit much to start with.
Interesting Facts
- The "French" in French Suites is a later, unofficial nickname — Bach himself never titled them that way, and the suites show as much Italian and German influence as French.
- Suite No. 6 is the most expansive of the set, closing with five dance movements instead of the usual four.
- This recording was awarded a five-star review by Classic CD magazine, as noted on the case.
- Wolfgang Rübsam is equally recognized as an organist and pianist, with extensive recorded cycles of Bach's keyboard and organ works for Naxos.
- The Clara Wieck Auditorium in Heidelberg, where this was recorded, is named for the pianist and composer who later married Robert Schumann.
Track Listing
Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814
- Allemande – 4:21 · 2. Courante – 2:17 · 3. Sarabande – 2:50 · 4. Anglaise – 1:27 · 5. Menuets I & II – 3:21 · 6. Gigue – 2:17
Suite No. 4 in E Flat Major, BWV 815
- Allemande – 2:58 · 8. Courante – 1:47 · 9. Sarabande – 2:33 · 10. Gavotte – 1:16 · 11. Menuet – 0:54 · 12. Air – 1:53 · 13. Gigue – 2:21
Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816
- Allemande – 4:00 · 15. Courante – 2:06 · 16. Sarabande – 3:48 · 17. Gavotte – 1:04 · 18. Bourrée – 1:30 · 19. Loure – 2:54 · 20. Gigue – 3:34
Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817
- Allemande – 3:40 · 22. Courante – 1:42 · 23. Sarabande – 2:52 · 24. Gavotte – 1:00 · 25. Menuet polonais – 1:14 · 26. Petit Menuet – 1:11 · 27. Bourrée – 1:52 · 28. Gigue – 2:32
Publishers
Naxos, part of the Naxos Music Group. Recorded at the Clara Wieck Auditorium, Heidelberg (producer/engineer Teije van Geest). Distributed by MVD Music and Video Distribution GmbH, Unterhaching/Munich, Germany.
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