Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque - J.S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge (2016) [DSD128 + Hi-Res FLAC]

Posted By: HDV
Date: April 12, 2023

Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque - JS Bach: The Art Of Fugue, BWV1080 (2016)
DSD128 (.dsf) 1 bit/5,6 MHz | Time - 71:07 minutes | 3,2 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time - 71:07 minutes | 1,49 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet

Rachel Podger has been recording and performing Bach's music for violin to critical acclaim for over two decades. In 2015 she became the tenth (and first female) recipient of the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize. On this release she leads her own ensemble, Brecon Baroque, in Bach's monumental Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge). The recording is presented in Channel Classics's signature stunning DSD sound.

Bach's The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, broken off at the end by the composer's death, was written out in open score, with no indication of instrumentation. This has given rise over the years to a variety of instrumental realizations, with keyboard performances being the most common, but string orchestra, or wind versions, and so forth, are also often essayed. This version, led by English, period-performance specialist Rachel Podger with her small Brecon Baroque ensemble, is part of a much smaller group: those that apply different settings to the various fugues in the set. Most are for combinations of strings, but a harpsichord may or may not be added, and harpsichordist Marcin Swiatkiewicz gets a couple of fugues on his own. The arrangements are presumably by historical-performance conductor John Butt, who wrote the booklet notes, but even he does not attempt to justify the procedure beyond some general suggestions that the work might not have been as abstract as it's generally supposed. Podger's version, lushly beautiful as it may be on the surface, disturbs that abstract quality, and individual listeners may decide for themselves whether they buy the approach. It is not clear why some fugues get harpsichord accompaniment, which is placed pretty far in the background in any event, but you could try sampling adjacent pieces without and with the harpsichord to see what you think. The intimate but clear sound from Channel Classics, working in London's Church of St-Jude-on-the-Hill is a major plus.

Tracklist:

01 - Simple Fugues: Contrapunctus 1
02 - Simple Fugues: Contrapunctus 3
03 - Simple Fugues: Contrapunctus 2
04 - Simple Fugues: Contrapunctus 4
05 - Simple Fugues: Canon alla Ottava
06 - Double Fugues: Contrapunctus 9 'alla Duodecima'
07 - Double Fugues: Contrapunctus 10 'alla Decima'
08 - Counter Fugues: Contrapunctus 5
09 - Counter Fugues: Contrapunctus 6 'in Stylo Francese'
10 - Counter Fugues: Contrapunctus 7 'per Augmentationem alla Terza'
11 - Triple Fugue: Contrapunctus 8, a 3
12 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Contrapunctus 11, a 4
13 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Canon alla Duodecime
14 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Contrapunctus 12, a 4
15 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Canon alla Decima
16 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Contrapunctus 13, a 3
17 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu
18 - Triple/Quadruple Fugue: Contrapunctus 14

Produced by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood. Engineered & Edited by Jared Sacks.
Recorded on December 15-17, 2015 at Church of Saint Jude-on-the-Hill, London.

Musicians:
Rachel Podger - violin
Johannes Pramsohler - violin, viola
Jane Rogers - viola
Alison McGillivray - cello
Marcin Świątkiewicz - harpsichord

Analyzed: Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque / Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV1080
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR11 -10.76 dB -27.53 dB 2:50 01-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 1
DR12 -11.20 dB -27.82 dB 3:01 02-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 3
DR12 -9.59 dB -28.19 dB 2:30 03-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 2
DR12 -9.23 dB -26.94 dB 3:42 04-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 4
DR15 -11.78 dB -30.99 dB 2:17 05-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Canon alla Ottava
DR12 -10.94 dB -28.19 dB 2:29 06-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 9 'alla Duodecima'
DR13 -10.40 dB -28.05 dB 3:50 07-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 10 'alla Decima'
DR13 -10.48 dB -27.63 dB 2:54 08-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 5
DR13 -8.66 dB -27.45 dB 3:53 09-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 6 'in Stylo Francese'
DR12 -11.84 dB -28.02 dB 3:31 10-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 7 'per Augmentationem alla Terza'
DR13 -10.59 dB -27.41 dB 5:53 11-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 8, a 3
DR14 -6.95 dB -27.01 dB 5:44 12-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 11, a 4
DR12 -21.63 dB -36.94 dB 3:47 13-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Canon alla Duodecime
DR13 -12.85 dB -28.68 dB 3:51 14-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 12, a 4
DR12 -25.80 dB -41.85 dB 4:29 15-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Canon alla Decima
DR13 -10.86 dB -29.14 dB 4:39 16-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 13, a 3
DR13 -11.92 dB -30.16 dB 3:25 17-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu
DR13 -11.20 dB -28.00 dB 8:23 18-The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Contrapunctus 14
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Number of tracks: 18
Official DR value: DR13

Samplerate: 5644800 Hz / PCM Samplerate: 176400 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 1
Bitrate: 11290 kbps
Codec: DSD128
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Thanks to the Original customer!