San Francisco Classical Voice

Sunday's concert by Angela Hewitt was a tour de force, a remarkable six-hour immersion in the music of Bach. Part of San Francisco Performances ongoing series Celebrating the Genius of Johann Sebastian Bach, the complete Book 1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier was presented in two sessions in the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, with remarks by Hewitt before and, together with Michael Steinberg, after. This was an extraordinary display of professionalism and stunning pianistic skill.

Hewitt's approach to the work was to exercise every available resource. She voiced the piano, often making it sound like a harpsichord, and employed these varied timbres to articulate the counterpoint. She used a staccato-like touch to indicate fugal themes, then added sudden diminuendos, to emphasize deceptive cadences, and even doubled the bass for further accent and color. Transitions were delineated with extremes of rubato. The full range of dynamic contrast was employed to dramatic effect.

This rather high-stepping, theatrical interpretation of Bach might not suit everyone's taste, but there can be no denying its commitment and craft. Hewitt's ability to elicit a full and varied palate of tones from the piano is astounding, even given the wonderful Hamburg Steinway, which responded to her every nuance.

Within the context of this highly rhetorical rendering, it was the simple, direct moments that were among the most satisfying. The C-sharp Minor Prelude and Fugue (No. 4) achieved a depth and purity, while the overstated pianissimos in the B Minor set (No. 24) called more attention to the performance than to the music itself. On the other hand, the enunciation of the bass line in the D Major Prelude (No. 5) served to elucidate its overall structure. And the varied treatment of successive phrases in the C Minor Prelude (No. 2) turned what often seems like a continuous barrage of sixteenth notes into a compelling narrative with a convincing conclusion in the Adagio and Allegro.

The afternoon session was less gratifying than the morning session. A few minor mishaps did not hinder its success, but the often-repeated mannerisms did, such as the crescendos in the final sections of many of the fugues. And the great fugues, in A minor and B minor, would have been better served by less affectation and a more plainspoken voice.

It is difficult to fault an effort so nearly flawlessly executed. Yet quite apart from the stylistic considerations of how Bach should be played, there is the issue of esthetic judgment. When a performer pushes the limits of expression over the top, even when in the service of the music, the performance risks becoming more about itself than about the work of art. There were troubling moments in this concert when the music strayed dangerously far from its core and into the realm of creative fancy. Never was this accidental, however. The sure hand of the performer always controlled the journey.

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, has fascinated composers, performers, and listeners since it was written in 1722. Beethoven, to name just one example, used sections of the great B Minor Fugue in his String Quartet, Op. 131. Angela Hewitt's reading of the work afforded her listeners much pleasure, intrigue, and food for thought. A word of thanks to San Francisco Performances -- for providing the Bay Area with such a rewarding series.

(Paul Hersh is a pianist and violist, and, since 1972, the James D. Robertson Professor of Piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

©2000 Paul Hersh, all rights reserved