Editorial Review:

Album Description:
Following its most successful recording, The Art of Fugue, the Emerson String Quartet again dedicates its mastery to the music of J.S. Bach. The quartet, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007, presents the world-premiere recording of the four-part fugues from the famous Well-Tempered Clavier as arranged for string quartet. The Emerson Quartet's 2003 release of The Art of Fugue was a critical and commercial success selling 50,000 units worldwide. Repertoire from this world-premiere recording will be included in the Emerson Quartet's touring program.









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• Bach: Art of Fugue
• Bach: The Art of Fugue
• Bach: Partitas Nos. 2-4
• Schoenberg Violin Concerto Op.36/Sibelius Violin Concerto Op.47
• The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
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Disc 1:

1. Fuga I a 4 voci BWV 846
2. Fuga V a 4 voci BWV 850
3. Fuga XII a 4 voci BWV 857
4. Fuga XIV a 4 voci BWV 859
5. Fuga XVI a 4 voci BWV 861
6. Fuga XVII a 4 voci BWV 862
7. Fuga XVIII a 4 voci BWV 863
8. Fuga XX a 4 voci BWV 865
9. Fuga XXIII a 4 voci BWV 868
10. Fuga XXIV a 4 voci BWV 869
11. Fuga II a 4 voci BWV 871*
12. Fuga V a 4 voci BWV 874*
13. Fuga VII a 4 voci BWV 876*
14. Fuga VIII a 4 voci BWV 877*
15. Fuga IX a 4 voci BWV 878*
16. Fuga XVI a 4 voci BWV 885
17. Fuga XVII a 4 voci BWV 886
18. Fuga XXII a 4 voci BWV 891
19. Fuga XXIII a 4 voci BWV 892
20. Fuga IV a 5 voci BWV 849
21. Fuga XXII a 5 voci BWV 867

Rating: - catching
To understand and appreciate Bach means to be fascinated by the art form of the fugue, Bach's most important tool in giving us the wonderful compositions we know from him. A fugue is both a mathematical equation and an exploration into the unknown. Thus, it is never boring, least of all in the way in which Back used it.
The fugues performed by the Emerson String Quartet were originally written for the harpsichord, under the name Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (The Well-tuned Piano). Although some purists frown at such re-arranging, as they did when Glenn Gould played Bach on a Steinway instead of on a harpsichord, it can be defended by pointing out that Bach himself re-used many of his compositions in other works and for other instruments. But probably the best defense is the utter beauty and thrilling experience that is the result, as is apparent from the recording by the Emerson String Quartet.

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Rating: - Emerson Quartet plays Bach Fugues
This is a wonderful transcription of many of Bach's fugues for the keyboard that clearly delineate the several parts in counterpoint, beautifully phrased and played by the masterful Emerson Quartet. The music itself never fatigues and rewards repeated listening--it is so good to be able to hear this music that is so rarely performed in the concert hall.

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Rating: - A Very "Classical" Reading...
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The Emerson here has purposefully chosen a very Haydnesque Classical mode of expression instead of attempting a more Beethovenian Romantic approach--(Haydn: very thin and airy; Beethoven: much bark and bite).

For example, the great b-minor Fugue (S.869) here sounds like "The Lark" instead of the "Große Fuge"--which is a pity because (as Pablo Casals, Glenn Gould, and E. Power Biggs have shown) Bach can be convincingly realized with vehemently passionate subjectivity.
The Emerson's anemic lackluster reading here is distinctly plain--and very nearly boring.

The Haydnesque approach is fine with the Art of Fugue due to the inherent Augenmusik nature of the work. The Fugues (and Preludes) of the Well-Tempered Clavier--(especially Book 1)--are quite another matter wherein each piece captures a peculiar mood and idea.

Overall it's a nice disc, but it could have been better.
The Emerson should rosin-up its bows because the Leipziger Streichquartett is treading on its coattails with amazing programming and technical dexterity: with this issue, the Emerson has fallen behind...

String Quartets by Wagner, Puccini, Verdi
Bruckner: String Quintet F major/String Quartet C minor
String Quartet
Berg: Complete String Quartets
Debussy: String Quartet; Fauré: String Quartet; Caplet: Conte Fantastique
Ravel, Tailleferre, Milhaud: String Quartets
Schönberg: STRING QUARTET D MAJOR / STRING QUARTET OP 7
Schoenberg: Chamber Music
Schoenberg: String Quartets 2 & 4
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Rating: - Very Nice Project
I really enjoy the interplay between players. These performances facilely brings out WTC's inner structure and makes these interactions three-dimensional. Unlike the Art of Fugue, one can enjoy to hear a variety of subjects and countersubjects. (I understand the Art of Fugue used permutations of a single subject!)

I would have given this recording 5 stars if if weren't for an aural sameness throughout. I understand this sometimes happens when arranging for string instruments, but clearly, I would have liked more dynamics and shading at the performance level. Otherwise, highly recommended.

PS: The present recording features 21 fugues of the famous "48". Perhaps the Emerson would commission the arrangements for the remaining (27) fugues for a future recording...and what about arranging the (48) preludes for string quartet? (Now THAT would be a more of a challenge to pull off!)

My two cents.