Exceptional music performed exceptionally: András Schiff and Book 1 at the BBC Proms
Book 1 of Bach's Das wohltemperierte Klavier
András Schiff
Royal Albert Hall
Arena, £7.12
7 September 2017
BBC page
I think (I'm not sure) I feel some qualms about turning the 48 into a feat of endurance – which is a component of Shiff's performance, for all its wonderfulness. Is this the best way to listen to this particularly rich and dense music? It is exciting to be part of such sustained concentration; and listening to Bach is of course not a bad way to spend two hours. But I think there is also something bizarre in one person being able to reproduce so much music so flawlessly over such a long time.
But in the grand scheme of things 'it's too impressive' is not much of a criticism, and aside from the superhuman-feat quality of the performance there is much in Schiff's display that delights and enlightens. There is about his interpretation a similar faultlessness to that of his execution: everything is measured, nuanced, subtle, considered, Schiff's articulation in particular a glowingly intelligent response to the text, evidently refined through years of practice and study. I was caught up in the thought several times through the performance that if one were to resurrect Bach and give him a few days to pull himself together and fiddle about with a Steinway he would share many of Shiff's conclusions.
Which is to term it incorrectly, as I'm sure Schiff's thoughts will continue to evolve just as those of my imaginary Bach should. This time round I did suspect myself of thinking Schiff might have an excess of taste: more Sturm und Drang throughout would have charmed more my more self-indulgent sensibilities. Again, though, it's not much of a complaint within what was an exceptional performance of exceptional music (even if in the hated Royal Albert Hall).
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