简介：
If there ever was a piece of absolute absolute music, Bach’s final masterpiece is THE one. According to the legend (partially dismissed in the booklet of this issue) blind genius was dictating the closing quadruple fugue from his deathbed to his son never to finish it. And in the score it is left as it is, interrupted in the middle of the line.
The Art of the Fugue is a compendium of theoretical musical knowledge of the era and it is still a towering monument of the western music, alongside 48 Preludes and Fugues and St Matthew Passion. Actual manuscript is a puzzle on its own – there are no indications for the instruments, and according to some sources, Bach never intended it to be performed, and it hasn’t been until late in the 20th Century. Single theme is developed into various numbers of voices according to the rigid rules of the fugue form. Main theme is based on Bach’s signature tune – BACH - to be twisted, mirrored, inverted and tumbled in such a complex manner, resulting in a deeply moving music. Even as the ultimate theoretical exercise in counterpoint, The Art of Fugue never lacks personality and Bach’s ever present humanism.
Since Bach didn’t mark any instruments in the score, every performance, especially by the chamber group is going to sound and feel different. There is no ‘performing’ edition as such, and this one being prepared by Marriner and Andrew Davis is unique as any other. Argument for performing this collection with the chamber orchestra (instead of keyboard instruments) is in variety of colours and textures that can be created for every single counterpoint (and there are 15 of them, plus 7 canons and fugues). There are also (minor) differences in succession and with all that in mind, there can not be a ‘definite’ performance or recording.
Marriner and his chamber group (string quartet, 2 oboes, cor anglais, bassoon, organ and two harpsichords) provide plenty of variety in different formations. Recorded in heydays of St. Martin in the Fields, all of them are strong performers and excellent soloists, but my impression is that the arrangement here is based more on the need for textural diversity than musical flow. My favourite performance/arrangement for the similar forces is still Karl Munchinger with Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, but that’s just a personal preference (and the fact that I grew up with that recording). Marriner and his players are admirably impersonal, which is perfectly in tune with the idea of the whole piece, but again, personally I prefer more human touch and a bit of Munchinger’s serene melancholy. Otherwise, this is highly satisfying recording, with every counterpoint and voice clearly distinguishable, and as a whole even moving, especially in full orchestral numbers.
The recording is not as warm and spacious as some other in the series, but is in keeping with the style of the performance. Harpsichords are solid and firm (a bit close as well), while organ and lower strings have nice bloom (if you’re bothered with the non-musical noises of some instruments, there are quite a few of them too, but that’s not an issue for me). Dynamic range is big, but I couldn’t get the impression of the space – presumably different numbers are recorded with different microphone positioning, but again, it all serves the purpose of variety and diversity from one section to another.
This is just one possible understanding of the puzzle that The Art of the Fugue is, and as I said, there can not be a definite performance. I wouldn’t part from any version we already have – be it on the piano, organ or chamber orchestra. This is still a very nice and valuable addition to the collection.
PS: 这部作品论坛里别的版本，这个版本是Sir Neville Marriner指挥The Academy of St Martin in the Fields演奏的版本
曲目：
Die Kunst Der Fuge • The Art Of Fugue • L' Art De La Fugue (BWV 1080)
1
Contrapunctus 1
3:09
2
Contrapunctus 2
3:16
3
Contrapunctus 3
3:48
4
Contrapunctus 4
3:32
5
Canon Alla Ottava
2:28
6
Contrapunctus 5
3:36
7
Contrapunctus 6, A 4, Im Stile Francese
4:15
8
Canon Alla Decima, Contrapuncto Alla Terza
4:28
9
Contrapunctus 7, A 4, Per Augmentationem Et Diminutionem
3:24
10
Contrapunctus 8, A 3
6:41
11
Canon Alla Duodecima In Contrapuntcto Alla Quinta
1:54
12
Contrapunctus 9, A 4, Alla Duodecima
2:52
13
Contrapunctus 10, A 4, Alla Decima
4:11
14
Canon Per Augmentationem In Contrario Motu
5:39
15
Contrapunctus 11, A 4
5:07
16
Contrapunctus 13, A 3 (Rectus)
2:15
17
Contrapunctus 12, A 4 (Rectus)
2:26
18
Fuga A 2 Clav.
2:09
19
Contrapunctus 13, A 3 (Inversus)
2:15
20
Contrapunctus 14, A 4 (Inversus)
2:20
21
Alio Modo Fuga A 2 Clav.
2:09
22
Fuga A 3 Soggetti (Unfinished / Unvollständig / Inachevée))
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发表于 2020-2-4 08:53:06
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