Bach Sonatas BWV 1014-1019 by Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch

Feb 19

Feb 19 Bach Sonatas BWV 1014-1019 by Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch

Performers: Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, violin and Tuija Hakkila, Silbermann fortepiano
Label: Ondine
Recording: Karjaa Church, Finland; April 2022
Producers: Reijo Kiilunen, Laura Heikinheimo
Engineer: Matti Heinonen / Pro Audile Oy

I’ve been waiting for a long time for more Bach—like these sonatas for violin and keyboard—to be realized on a period piano. The album makes clear that the sound of a period piano is very different from that of a harpsichord, but the dynamic range isn’t nearly as wide as we may think; it’s a far way off from today’s Steinways. The unexpected nuance may be the “ringing” of this instrument, in particular. You might well prefer the sound of, say, the Walter instruments used by the likes of Mozart.

But historical authenticity is the reason for wanting to hear these works with a piano. The piano was invented in Bach’s time, and of course he came face to face with one (probably not for the first time) when he made his now famous appearance in Potsdam to visit his son and Frederick the Great, a meeting which prompted composition of the so-called Musical Offering.

The booklet notes provide a photograph of the said room. (Since I've birdwalked onto the booklet, the cover is just stunning, what a painting!)

The balance in my audition of this album was interesting; the violin didn’t seem to have any issue overpowering the sound of the piano. One can never tell if these issues of balance are because of the nature of the recording, an artistic bias, or if the said instruments are captured, as is, without compromise. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that a period piano from 1747 would be as subdued as a harpsichord. That said, the first Allegro of BWV 1018 the piano seems to outweigh the violin. I am not sure if the pianist is using different available controls to alter the voicing of the piano, or if the balance between takes is not being addressed by the recording engineer. Given the sound of the piano across the album, I’m guessing it’s a piano setting, which historically, is again of interest to me.

Ms. Kaakinen-Pilch is a player that uses vibrato appropriately, as far as I understand how it was used in the period, as a type of ornamental effect. It’s one of the admirable things about her playing.

As a pair, the violin and piano seem in lock-step throughout. The two do not, ever, in my listening, achieve any high level of thrill with their music making. The Presto in BWV 1015, or the two faster movements in BWV 1014, as examples, never fully exploit the speed I’d like to hear. The presto movement in particular is not a presto. Their tempo choices seem to evoke a more galante presentation of the music, more even-keeled and tempered in taste. As a general rule, I found the first Allegros to be played with a tempo I could live with, whereas a few of the final movements felt like I just needed someone to inject some caffeine into the room.

This album for me doesn’t provide the most satisfying performances of these works fully, however there may be some who enjoy the opportunity to hear these works with a little less frenetic style. Kaakinen-Pilch is a rhetorical player and her phrasing I think is on the mark; Kaakinen-Pilch with Hakkila may be at their strongest in the opening of the G major sontata, BWV 1019, which of course has three versions (one presented here, with the keyboard solo at the center). The buzzing nature of the piano I grew accustomed to as I enjoyed this album. But now more than ever I’d love to know what Bach thought of Silbermann’s piano?

I’m not won over that it’s the superior instrument. This album is accompanied by excellent notes by David Yearsley.

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