Bach: The 6 English Suites

J.S. Bach’s English Suites form the thrillingly majestic second volume in pianist Francesco Tristano’s journey to record all the Baroque composer’s keyboard works. Probably dating from around 1714 while Bach was living and working in Weimar, the suites are collections of dance movements, and in that sense are akin in structure to his keyboard partitas and French Suites. Musically, however, they seem to tower above. “They’re unique,” Tristano tells Apple Music Classical. “For a start, each suite has an extravagant opening movement that’s virtuosic and extremely hard to play.” And then there are the closing gigues that Tristano describes as “beautifully complex, extravagant and totally engrossing”. “The opening ‘Prelude’ of the Second Suite in A Minor really is Bach at his most groovy,” adds Tristano. “It's super clear the way he plays with the voice leading and how each hand imitates the other. It’s total equality of hands, and it’s quite amazing.” For an example of a gigue, Tristano points to the final movement from Suite No. 6, an extraordinary final statement that concludes the set in an unexpectedly brisk manner. “It’s quite extravagant, the way he plays with the chromatics and trills and jumps and accents and dissonances. It’s kind of a wild Bach—it’s visionary.” In between are movements that, on the surface, seem as if they might give the player a moment to breathe. Not at all, says Tristano. “A couple of years ago, I played the English Suite No. 6, with its incredible opening, probably one of the most intricate and difficult keyboard movements written by Bach. I would get to the ‘Allemande’ after the ‘Prelude’ and say, ‘OK, now I can relax a little bit’. But this Allemande is actually very detailed and subtle with surprising harmonies and harmonic twists, so you can’t relax at all. Every movement demands total dedication and concentration.” There’s an unmistakable, almost forensic clarity to Tristano’s playing, mostly due to his steering clear of the sustain pedal (a device that lifts the dampers from the strings, helping pianists achieve a legato sound). “I know pianists who use the pedal quite well, but for me, it gets in the way of polyphony,” says Tristano; “when I play live, though, sometimes if I play a repeat, I might use the soft pedal to simulate a change of manual on a harpsichord.” Tristano’s use of a brightly toned Yamaha CFX concert grand piano also contributes to the transparency of the sound, helping him achieve a certain percussive texture that again bridges the space between piano and harpsichord. “I think for me, the most important aspect of any piano is how reliable the action is,” reveals Tristano, “so that I can really control the instrument. Because especially in Bach, there’s no pedal, and every voice is equally important. I just need total control over how the instrument is going to react to the tips of my fingers. The keyboard is a machine anyway, so let's make it sparkle and make it groove.”