Cord Garben - Echoes: Bach's Breath & Chopin (2023)

Tracklist

01. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in F-Sharp Major, BWV 858: I. Prelude
02. Nocturnes, Op. 15: No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, B. 55
03. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in C-Sharp Major, BWV 848: I. Prelude
04. Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57, B. 154
05. Preludes, Op. 28: No. 14 in E-Flat Minor, B. 107
06. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in E-Flat Major, BWV 852: II. Fugue
07. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in F Minor, BWV 857: I. Prelude
08. Nocturnes, Op. 55, B. 152: No. 2 in E-Flat Major
09. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in F Major, BWV 856: I. Prelude
10. Preludes, Op. 28: No. 23 in F Major, B. 107
11. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in B-Flat Major, BWV 866: II. Fugue
12. Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52, B. 146
14. Études, Op. 10: No. 6 in E-Flat Minor, B. 57 Lament”
15. Preludes, Op. 28: No. 6 in B Minor, B. 107
16. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in B Minor, BWV 869: II. Fugue
17. Preludes, Op. 28: No. 5 in D Major, B. 107
18. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in D Major, BWV 850: II. Fugue
19. Preludes, Op. 28: No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor, B. 123
20. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in C-Sharp Major, BWV 848: II. Fugue
21. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude & Fugue in E Major, BWV 854: I. Prelude
22. Nocturnes, Op. 62, B. 161: No. 2 in E Major

Chopin is said to have played in time (the metronome always on the instrument), the left hand relentlessly keeping the tempo. Pupils have also reported that he never played a piece in the same way, with each performance resulting in something different. And yet rubato playing was by no means handled as freely by the composer as can be observed everywhere today. However, there are no reports of Chopin playing Bach in particular; what is documented is his admiration for the composer. We therefore qualify the legend that he himself - according to his own statement - played Bach exclusively for two weeks before a concert and merely imagine that he worked intensively on Bach before his already rare performances. We can assume that the preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier, some of which can also be heard in this project, were the focus of his interest. A closer look at Chopin's works, especially those of smaller dimensions, repeatedly reveals modules that we think we already know from Bach. Individual bars of the Préludes op. 28 (1836-1839) and Etudes (op. 10 no. 4) (1833 / 1837) could be retransformed into a nucleus in Bach's character with just a few hand movements. Chopin's reverence for Bach preserved these highly condensed musical tools of the Baroque composer well into the Romantic century. He still used them in his late works, such as in his last Nocturne in E major, which in a way takes stock of Bach. This recording, which has a thoroughly experimental feel to it, aims to illustrate the extent to which Chopin was influenced by Bach's work through the direct combination of works in different keys, some of which are structurally related, and whose formal stability with its geometric structures must often have prevented him from sowing too much tinsel, gold sand and pearls, which Robert Schumann once had the courage to accuse his rival of doing. The aim of this project tempted him here and there to play Chopin like Bach and to achieve the greatest possible transparency with extremely sparing use of the pedal. Above all, to breathe Chopin's breath into the melodic beauties of Bach with a romantic touch. The Steinway Bb grand piano, which is around 40 years old, was chosen because of its slim bass section.