Die Kunst der Fuga - Suzuki

• Label: BIS
• Performer: Masaaki Suzuki, harpsichord, with Masato Suzuki

On the heels of Rousset’s recording of Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080, we now have a recording by the founder/director of the Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki. Contrary to the Rousset recording, this one includes the final 3-subject (unfinished) fugue and the deathbed chorale.

My first impression with the first Contrapunctus was the phrasing Suzuki adopts and how it reminded me of more than one recording using multiple instruments, where each voice is realized by a different player; the effect is that he’s singing the theme in his head and phrasing in such a way that the dominant voice has a chance to breathe? This is a roundabout way to say that I think he’s playing horizontally rather than vertically, which I missed in the recording by Rousset.

The other apt comparison is with his teacher, Ton Koopman. The sound of their instruments are very close, as I am certain they are by the same maker. Koopman’s approach (along with his wife who joins him in several tracks) is to add a lot of ornamentation. There is some here with Suzuki, but it is quite restrained compared to Koopman’s earlier recording on Erato.

His second contrapunctus with dotted rhythms left me with a smile, it was jovial, forthright and pushes ahead. The other dotted rhythm fugue, no. 6 in the French style, is less happy, less ebullient, but it does thankfully have that gallop to it which I often equate to the way Koopman plays, if you have the chance to watch him move as he plays at the keyboard.

I also compared my favorite movement, the 9th fugue alla duodecima with that of Christian Rieger. The German’s approach is faster and more virtuosic in approach. In the sixth, in stylo francese the French feel for me wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was with Suzuki. I’ve oft admired Rieger’s recording but for my taste, both the sound of Suzuki’s instrument in its rich overtones and his more relaxed tempos? They’re superior in terms of musical enjoyment.

I was not provided liner notes with this new release which I auditioned in high definition from Qobuz. I am not sure how Suzuki realized the later canons which are sometimes performed by two players. In the 21st track, it does sound to my ears that two instruments are being used. I wouldn’t be surprised if multitracking was used or else Suzuki’s son joined him. (Presto Music’s listing confirms my suspicion that he is joined by his son.)

If there is any place in this music to wax on in a romantic sentimentality, it has to be the final fugue that was left unfinished. I know I will grab looks from some readers for saying this is some of the most moving music I know of (maybe an extreme claim, even given the canon of Bach’s own oeuvre), but so many emotions are trapped in the themes of this one for me. Yes, it may have to do with the fact that it was left unresolved, or the idea of Bach unable to complete it, although much conjecture has been written to suggest the deathbed story is more invention than historical fact.

There should be no surprise by now that Bach’s Kunst der Fuga is my favorite piece of music. There are thankfully so many fine recordings to choose from and for me Suzuki’s is an excellent forerunner in the solo harpsichord category. My only wish would be for an extra track with the final fugue realized by either Suzuki or a solution by someone else? The inclusion of BWV 668a for me doesn’t bother me. It wasn’t part of Johann Sebastian’s design, but nevertheless, historically it was included and there’s no need to leave it out (you can always skip it).

I think for many readers they will find this reading superior to Koopman’s as it lacks his more eccentric additions. I love those additions, don’t get me wrong, but this recording I think presents the music with well-chosen tempi, sensitive phrasing, articulate space with dotted rhythms, and again, the sound of the instruments used leave nothing more in want from my ears.

Did I get a chill after the last notes in the 3-subject fugue? Indeed.

This album for me joins the recording by Les Récréations as top tier recordings of BWV 1080 for those itching for a new recording with an HIPP approach. For those interested in a piano rendition, of recent memory the one by Daniil Trifonov is one to explore and includes a conclusion to the final fugue.