This is something of a hit and miss affair. All pieces contained in this generous album are transcriptions of pieces by other composers or for other instruments. David Fray’s previous Bach solo albums, as well as an album of Bach’s solo Piano Concertos, was very convincing, and then as in this instance, he takes the conductor role as well as the soloist.
Fray and the other pianists (Emmanuel Christien, Audrey Vigoreux and Jacques Rouvier) build a good rapport with the string player of Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. The strings play “historically aware”, with nice balance overall with the soloists, and the slow movements are the ones that come through the most impressively.
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The problem lays with the overly resonant acoustics, which time and again detracts from the interesting contrapuntal writing and softens the rhythmical energy of the outer movements. The chosen venue – Toulouse’s Carmelite Chapel – is clearly too resonant for this kind of instrumental music. It’s been a while since an engineering issue prevented from enjoying an otherwise fine interoperation to that extent.
(Images: ©️ Jean-Baptiste Millot / Warner Classics)
The acoustics issue is also why the more successful of the concertos are the ones for 2 pianos, rather than the more crowded 3 and 4. In these pieces (tracks 7-15 in the album), you can finally recognize some of Fray’s wonderful velvety sound, so mesmerizing in his previous Schubert and Bach recordings, again, most notably in the slow movements.
For another, clearer execution of the multiple pianos concertos try another all-French team, namely including Michele Beroff and Jean-Philippe Collard on EMI (Now warner), or a Deutsche Grammophon recording let by Christoph Eschenbach with Justus Frantz and Gerhard Oppitz, among others. Spend happy times with this album if you can pick up the notes from the blur. Listening with a good set of headphones may make it a bit more worthwhile.
Bach – Concertos For 2, 3, and 4 Pianos
David Fray, Emmanuel Christien, Audrey Vigoreux, Jacques Rouvier – Pianos
Strings Of The Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
Warner Classics, CD 0190295632281
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