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John McKean, Bountiful Bach, Early Music, Volume 39, Issue 3, August 2011, Pages 454–457, https://doi.org/10.1093/em/car063
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Extract
In the title-pages to each of the four parts of J. S. Bach's Clavier-Übung, the composer offers his keyboard works to music lovers as a means of ‘refreshing the spirit’ (Gemüths Ergötzung). Bach could hardly have imagined the extent to which these works, and others, would proliferate in the centuries following his death. Now, more so than ever before, we are confronted with a profusion of fine performances of this repertory that are both historically grounded and of the highest artistic calibre. In this light, the task of choosing from a variety of recordings can, at times, seem more overwhelming than refreshing.
In the case of Léon Berben's recent CD Fantasia & Fuge (Myrios MYR001, issued 2010, 62′), the choice is somewhat less daunting, for this recording features an array of works (all of them fantasies and/or fugues) that many listeners will not already have in their collections. Apart from the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV903 and perhaps the Fantasy and Fugue in A minor BWV904, these are more obscure pieces that one typically encounters—if at all—individually, in ancillary roles: as a curiosity thrown into a recital programme of more familiar works, for instance. Needless to say, it is quite ‘refreshing’ indeed to see these captivating pieces placed centre-stage for a change. The extreme, otherworldly chromaticism of the Fantasy and Fugue in C minor BWV906 is especially shocking, while the plaintive, miniature Fantasia in B minor (BWVdeest) conveys a feeling of intimacy that is rare for this otherwise extroverted genre. Berben's playing is exemplary, as is his instrument—a copy (by Keith Hill) of a 1728 double-manual harpsichord by Christian Zell whose colourful timbral palette has a seamless transition from a zesty, focused bass to a sweet, silvery treble. On occasion, Berben's ornamentation sounds slightly indiscriminate, the result of compulsion rather than of judicious embellishment, but his creativity and imagination remain the most salient features of his performance. The CD's sound quality is excellent, the liner notes are informative and well written, and the overall presentation is first rate. As the first release of Myrios Classics, this new label will be one to watch.
