Bach: French Suites Nos.1-6
Thurston Dart (clavichord) (Decca Eloquence)
(scroll down for English review)
一張碟收錄全部《法國組曲》，看清楚總長度，只是52分鐘，一張黑膠的長度，因為Dart完全沒有彈重覆奏，如果彈了就是雙倍時間。
但這碟的重點是用「小鍵琴」（clavichord）演奏，這種樂器的發聲原理不同古鍵琴的「撥弦」，而是「擊弦」，能做出輕微的揉音，這點不單是古鍵琴，就連現代鋼琴都做不到。雖說巴哈喜歡彈小鍵琴多過古鍵琴，但小鍵琴的音量頗弱，難作公開演奏，其細膩音色較適合在家彈奏，當時的音樂家較難負擔買一部古鍵琴在家，小鍵琴是更佳選擇，連管風琴家也會用小鍵琴練習。
這個1961錄音音質算是不錯，用來了解一下小鍵琴是甚麼來頭都好，至少以後聽到人說「古樂沒有揉音」，就知那人亂講。Dart願意揉音以外，你也會聽到小鍵琴在不同音高有很不同的音色，就像自動幫你配器一樣，也難怪常說用小鍵琴彈《平均律》，不同聲部會聽得最清楚。
假如對《法國組曲》陌生，我建議先聽《第五組曲》（軌25開始），這是最知名的一首，啟首的德國舞曲旋律優美，軌27的薩拉班舞曲的歌唱感在揉音下更覺動人。你或許會留意到這種樂器和老電影《The Third Man》那種維也納塞瑟琴有點相似。
我不欣賞Dart省略了很多已在譜上的裝飾音，不過他可能選用較早期的版本或手稿，因為後期版本的裝飾音很多是巴哈學生加上去的。以我口味而言，Dart的彈法不夠法國風，但適合想聽較樸素的巴哈的朋友。此外，裝飾音其實不只是多幾個音符，也和節奏有相當關係，所以他少彈裝飾音最影響到吉格舞曲，令其抖動感大大減弱。話雖如此，既然Dart不彈重覆奏，又是用小鍵琴大揉特揉，彈少一點裝飾音確實不是大問題。
All six French Suites on one disc, it was one LP actually, clocking in at 52 minutes. Dart omitted all the repeats so it’s just half of the time needed.
But the point is that a clavichord was used on this recording. The clavichord has a different mechanism than the harpsichord which plucks the strings while the the clavichord’s tangents pound on the strings. A slight but partial vibrato is possible, even a modern piano can’t manage that. Although Bach was said to prefer the clavichord but this instrument was mainly for home use. Yet a harpsichord was beyond the means of most musicians in the 18th century so a clavichord was quite common in their homes, even organists practised on that.
This 1961 recording has good sonics, given the precarious sound of the clavichord. Dart did vibrato generously, from now on please regard “baroque music has no vibrato” as BS. Other than that, this clavichord’s bass and the treble vary a lot in colour, as if there are different instruments playing. It is easy to understand why clavichord works wonder in Bach’s contrapuntal works, especiall the Well-Tempered Clavier.
If you don’t intend to listen to all six you might start with Suite No.5 (track 25 onwards), the most famous among the set. The Allemande is very graceful and the Sarabande (track 27) is very cantabile and moving with those extra vibrato. Furthermore you might sense an affinity of the clavichord to the Viennese zither.
I disagree with Dart’s omission of most ornaments already printed on the score. But the reason could be his choosing of an earlier manuscript without the ornaments added by Bach’s pupils. Still, to me Dart’s interpretation was too remote from the French school of harpsichord music but some might prefer their Bach to be leaner. Ornaments aren’t just extra notes but also accents of sorts, that’s why Dart’s gigues fail to shake. Nevertheless, Dart’s total renouncement of the repeats and the presence of vibrato somehow justify the absence of ornaments.