Trevor Pinnock’s memorable 1970s/’80s solo Bach recordings for the Archiv label add up to a well-filled entry in Universal’s budget-priced Trio series. No substantial interpretive differences mark the harpsichordist’s 1984 Partitas from his Hänssler remakes some 15 years later. The earlier versions, though, boast generally faster tempos and are less consistent regarding repeats. Pinnock’s energetic virtuosity and stylish aplomb serve the music’s dance origins well. Occasional kinks that he ultimately would quash for Hänssler (the blurred B-flat Gigue and rigid dotted notes in the C minor’s introduction) are inconsequential, but the distant microphone placement lacks Hänssler’s body and impact. By contrast, the French Overture and Goldberg Variations’ drier, close-up analog sound conveys more clarity and definition. In the French Overture, Pinnock favors steady, ongoing rhythmic drive and crisp articulation over roomy embellishments and decorative opulence, and he treats the Italian Concerto in a similarly direct manner.
If you don’t require all the repeats, Pinnock’s Goldberg Variations still stand among the work’s top harpsichord versions. The 1646 Andreas Ruckers harpsichord has a gentler, more plangent timbre than the instruments he employs in the other recordings. His generally brisk tempos (only the canons at the third and fourth seem unduly slow) and sharp transitions are ideally gauged, together with subtle, tastefully varied registrations. I especially like the controlled freedom with which Pinnock imbues the slower variations, as steady bass lines support the free-floating melodic discourse. This repertoire, of course, hardly lacks in first class recordings, and numerous viable alternatives fill the catalog. Pinnock’s artistry however will surely please bargain hunting collectors. But if you’re primarily interested in the Partitas, try to sample the Hänssler/Pinnock cycle first.
