Peter Hill, Pianist, performs:
- Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
There are times when, in my view, the best interpretation is the one that stresses simplicity, honesty, and a lack of additions beyond what the composer wrote 300 years ago.
Peter Hill is a recognized authority on 20th-century and contemporary music; yet on this CD he turns to another of his lifelong preoccupations: the music of J.S. Bach.
On this new recording, Hill brings his customary scholarly ability and his strong musical intelligence to bear on Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
Mr. Hill is head of the department of music at the University of Sheffield, where he teaches courses in performance practice, including the music of Messiaen, Stravinsky and Beethoven.
His book ‘The Messiaen Companion’, published in 1994, indicates his affinity for the French composer, a composer with whom Hill studied and of whose music he has made authoritative recordings.
As well as writing articles for the Musical Times and Tempo magazine, Peter Hill has also published a book on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and has given extremely illuminating lectures on the history, performance and recording of this work.
This is a wonderful recording of Well-Tempered Clavier, book II. Hill’s experience with Messiaen has evidently helped him to explore the amazing depths of Bach’s music.
Here is Peter Hill in Messiaen’s ‘La Colombe’ and a Sightreading Exercise:
And here is Peter Hill, playing more more music by Messiaen:
Tags: Peter Hill, pianist, J. S. Bach, Messiaen