Johann Sebastian Bach, András Schiff

On Clavichord, András Schiff plays Johann Sebastian Bach on the quiet domestic keyboard the composer favoured, after recording much of his keyboard music on the piano. It is Schiff's first recording on the instrument, and the programme favours early works and the pieces Bach wrote for teaching. The two discs hold the Capriccio sopra la lontananza del fratello dilettissimo, the fifteen Inventions and fifteen Sinfonias, the Four Duets, the Ricercar à 3 from the Musical Offering and the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue. Schiff calls the sound “a new world, a quiet oasis in our noisy, troubled times”.

His instrument is an unfretted clavichord built in 2003 by the Belgian maker Joris Potvlieghe, a replica of a Specken instrument from 1743. The recording was made in July 2018 in the Kammermusiksaal H. J. Abs of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. Manfred Eicher produced it, with Stephan Schellmann as Tonmeister. Schiff has already recorded the Goldberg Variations, the Partitas and both books of The Well-Tempered Clavier for ECM, all on piano. Here, he writes, “we have only our fingers at our disposal”.

The clavichord allows small swells of volume and a slight vibrato, made by moving the key after it is struck, and Schiff uses both. The Capriccio, written before Bach turned twenty, tells a little story of friends trying to keep a brother from a dangerous journey. It moves from an exquisitely controlled Adagiosissimo to a closing fugue on a post horn call. In the Inventions and Sinfonias his tempos are often slower than on the piano, though the F major Invention runs fleet. The A minor Invention carries a subtle crescendo, and the final B minor Sinfonia becomes a study in obsession. The Chromatic Fantasia closes the set with full drama on a small, soft instrument.

In BBC Music Magazine, Jan Smaczny called it “an illuminating and enjoyable guide to Bach at the clavichord”. Dan Cairns of the Sunday Times heard “a persuasive case, if not a definitive one” for the clavichord beside harpsichord and piano. Tal Agam of The Classic Review placed it among the more convincing clavichord recitals in years. In Fono Forum, Christoph Vratz wrote that the intimacy of the recording makes the listener feel like a guest in Bach's own room.

Two CDs on ECM New Series, catalogue number ECM New Series 2635/36, released in January 2023. The booklet includes Schiff's own text and an essay by Potvlieghe on the history of the instrument.