Piano Classics Presents Yuan Sheng Playing J. S. Bach: Complete Partitas

[maestrob]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_num0eZIQ8

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Artist: Yuan Sheng piano

This is the third instalment of Yuan Sheng’s complete Bach cycle played on the piano, previous issues include the Goldberg Variations and the Italian Concerto/French Overture.


“China’s premier interpreter of Bach”, is what International Piano Magazine called Yuan Sheng. A pupil of Solomon Mikowsky (Manhattan School of Music) and notably Rosalyn Tureck Yuan Sheng extensively studied the performance practice of Baroque music. Equally at home at the harpsichord he has an instinctive feeling for the possibilities, sonorities and touch of the instrument at hand, so that “the listener might easily have imagined the composer at the keyboard” (Boston Intelligencer).

This recent recording of the complete 6 Partitas is again a marvel of elegance, wit, rhetoric and brilliance, played on a modern Steinway.

Besides pursuing an international career Yuan Sheng is Professor of Piano at the Bejing Central Conservatory of Music.

00:00:00 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: I. Praeludium
00:01:43 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: II. Allemande
00:05:37 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: III. Corrente
00:08:35 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: IV. Sarabande
00:14:10 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: V. Menuet I&II
00:17:20 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: VI. Giga
00:19:22 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: I. Sinfonia
00:23:43 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: II. Allemande
00:28:20 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: III. Courante
00:30:42 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: IV. Sarabande
00:34:41 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: V. Rondeaux
00:36:07 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: VI. Capriccio
00:39:41 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: I. Ouverture
00:46:02 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: II. Allemande
00:55:09 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: III. Courante
00:58:49 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: IV. Sarabande
01:04:58 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: V. Aria
01:07:12 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: VI. Menuet
01:08:38 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: VII. Gigue
01:12:13 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: I. Fantasia
01:14:22 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: II. Allemande
01:17:09 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: III. Corrente
01:20:34 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: IV. Sarabande
01:25:03 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: V. Burlesca
01:27:30 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: VI. Scherzo
01:28:40 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: VII. Gigue
01:31:56 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: I. Praeambulum
01:34:38 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: II. Allemande
01:38:56 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: III. Corrente
01:40:48 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: IV. Sarabande
01:45:57 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: V. Tempo di menuetta
01:47:52 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: VI. Passepied
01:49:37 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: VII. Gigue
01:53:26 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: I. Toccata
02:00:26 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: II. Allemanda
02:03:32 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: III. Corrente
02:08:22 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: IV. Sarabande
02:15:16 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: V. Air
02:16:46 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: VI. Tempo di gavotte
02:18:57 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: VII. Gigue

[Donald Isler]

I've enjoyed his playing for many years. He's also interviewed in my book. Yes, an excellent Bach player - but he's also very good with Chopin, and other composers!

[Holden Fourth]

Just having a listen now. Two movements into Partita 1 and I notice that Yuan Sheng takes a more leisurely approach than many others in number 1. There is also some ornamentation that I haven't heard before but of course adding ornaments at will was the thing in Bach's time. Sheng makes the opening sinfonia of number two almost sound like a harpsichord. That's all I've heard so far.

My go to in these works is the incomparable Sergey Schepkin.

[Lance]

WHAT? More complete Partitas of Bach? I just received and listened to those of Igor Levit. I must be crazy. While I love these partitas, there are also these at hand: Perahia, Schiff, Kirkpatrick (harpsichord), Demus (2 different), Tipo, Walcha (harpsichord), Igor Kipnis (harpsichord), Tureck, Gould, Goode, Badura-Skoda, Galling (harpsichord), Korevaar, Gieseking, Feltsman, Schepkin, and Seemann. Then there are individual recordings of different Partitas. Arrau never got around to recording all of them only numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5 during his last years. At this point, I surely have enough Partitas to last yet another lifetime! Speaking of Schepkin, it was our old friend Harris Herman who made a gift to me of the Schepkin. I have not seen Harris in a long time on CMG. Does anyone know anything about him? He and his wife came to one of the CMG get-togethers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_num0eZIQ8

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Artist: Yuan Sheng piano

This is the third instalment of Yuan Sheng’s complete Bach cycle played on the piano, previous issues include the Goldberg Variations and the Italian Concerto/French Overture.


“China’s premier interpreter of Bach”, is what International Piano Magazine called Yuan Sheng. A pupil of Solomon Mikowsky (Manhattan School of Music) and notably Rosalyn Tureck Yuan Sheng extensively studied the performance practice of Baroque music. Equally at home at the harpsichord he has an instinctive feeling for the possibilities, sonorities and touch of the instrument at hand, so that “the listener might easily have imagined the composer at the keyboard” (Boston Intelligencer).

This recent recording of the complete 6 Partitas is again a marvel of elegance, wit, rhetoric and brilliance, played on a modern Steinway.

Besides pursuing an international career Yuan Sheng is Professor of Piano at the Bejing Central Conservatory of Music.

00:00:00 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: I. Praeludium
00:01:43 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: II. Allemande
00:05:37 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: III. Corrente
00:08:35 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: IV. Sarabande
00:14:10 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: V. Menuet I&II
00:17:20 Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: VI. Giga
00:19:22 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: I. Sinfonia
00:23:43 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: II. Allemande
00:28:20 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: III. Courante
00:30:42 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: IV. Sarabande
00:34:41 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: V. Rondeaux
00:36:07 Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: VI. Capriccio
00:39:41 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: I. Ouverture
00:46:02 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: II. Allemande
00:55:09 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: III. Courante
00:58:49 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: IV. Sarabande
01:04:58 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: V. Aria
01:07:12 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: VI. Menuet
01:08:38 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828: VII. Gigue
01:12:13 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: I. Fantasia
01:14:22 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: II. Allemande
01:17:09 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: III. Corrente
01:20:34 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: IV. Sarabande
01:25:03 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: V. Burlesca
01:27:30 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: VI. Scherzo
01:28:40 Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827: VII. Gigue
01:31:56 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: I. Praeambulum
01:34:38 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: II. Allemande
01:38:56 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: III. Corrente
01:40:48 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: IV. Sarabande
01:45:57 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: V. Tempo di menuetta
01:47:52 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: VI. Passepied
01:49:37 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829: VII. Gigue
01:53:26 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: I. Toccata
02:00:26 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: II. Allemanda
02:03:32 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: III. Corrente
02:08:22 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: IV. Sarabande
02:15:16 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: V. Air
02:16:46 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: VI. Tempo di gavotte
02:18:57 Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830: VII. Gigue

[maestrob]

Lance, Harris and Pepper are doing fine. I miss their postings here also, and correspond regularly with them. The energizer bunny is still going strong, I'm happy to say! Harris is a regular lurker, of course.

And yes, Schepkin is a must-hear in the Partitas for those who love Bach's music.

[Rach3]

Thanks, quite enjoyable, nice to hear them all played by same pianist as mine are spread among Tipo,Gould,Grosvenor.

And a nice palette cleanser after my Rachmaninoff binge.

[Holden Fourth]

And like Lance it was Harris who introduced me to Schepkin

[premont]

While I don't want to detract from Yuan Sheng as a Bach pianist, he also masters the clavichord wery well, what is to be heard on this recording of the Klavierbüchlein für WF Bach, which is throughout recommendable:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/p ... emann-bach