Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1
Luca Guglielmi (harpsichord) (C-Avi Music)
(scroll down for English review)
跟Aaron Pilsan的《平均律》第一冊的錄音同日推出，但這張是用古鍵琴演奏。之前未聽過Guglielmi的名字，但打開了小冊子，見到他寫的樂曲介紹就決定聽多一次《平均律》第一冊，結果非但沒有聽膩，更有頗多得着。
就是見到Guglielmi為全部廿四首前奏曲及賦格，寫了四十八段文字介紹。文筆很簡短實在，而最對我口味是他講得到巴哈在模倣或相似哪位巴洛克作曲家的風格。逐首的聽及看介紹文字，才解開一個想不通的事情：Guglielmi說巴哈的徒弟指出，其實巴哈這些賦格大多依照舞曲節奏來寫，不應當成毫無節奏的純學術練習來彈。
Gugliemi在每首賦格的文字介紹中也說得出是哪種舞曲節奏，例如嘉禾舞曲、吉格舞曲、孔雀舞曲等，也和我所認識的相符。所以和Pilsan去比，Guglielmi就真的能帶出不同樂曲的不同風格。他的速度也傾向於閒適，正是他很明白個別樂曲背後的節奏，所以不會一概用相近的速度。
此外，很難得使用一部1737年的古鍵琴，現在絕大多數的古鍵琴錄音都是用複製琴，而且這部古董琴是一部Zell，Gugliemi說這個工匠的琴，現存而又能演奏的應該只有三部，其中一部就是Leonhardt生前愛用的。我也很喜歡這部琴的聲音，少有的兼備柔和及清脆音色，在用上buff stop的第八前奏曲（軌15），出來的效果都比大部分古鍵琴自然。
聽完全碟才知Guglielmi的另一身分是Jordi Savall的助理指揮。這套錄音在2017年灌錄，到現在才授權給C-Avi發行，我希望第二冊都是一早錄好，可以馬上推出。
Released on the same day as Aaron Pilsan’s recording, Guglielmi was a name unfamiliar to me. I took the plunge into another sitting of WTC Book 1 after reading Guglielmi’s concise booklet notes, detailing the various styles and influences of each of the 24 preludes and 24 fugues. Guglilemi also cited Kirnberger, a Bach disciple, that Bach’s fugues in the WTC were mostly written with a certain dance rhythm in mind and shouldn’t be played as dry academic exercises.
Guglielmi identified each of the fugues as being a gavotte, a gigue or a pavane, etc. True to his words Guglielmi played the pieces in a very diverse manner, something which Pilsan failed to do despite having a real nice legato. Contrary to the cliché that harpsichordists prefer quick tempi, Guglielmi’s tempi were leisurely but never sluggish, and he was able to highlight the rhythms of the fugues very well.
Another thing to be cherished was Gugliemli’s making this recording on a 1737 Zell harpsichord. An original, not a replica. He wrote that there are only three Zell originals now that are in performance condition. One of each was a treasured possession of Gustav Leonhardt who used it on many of his recordings. I love the sound of this Zell a lot, it’s a rare mix of a sweet and crisp tone. Even the buff stop, which Guglielmi used in the Eighth Prelude (track 15), sounds more natural than most instruments.
It was after listening to this album that I found out Guglielmi’s being Jordi Savall’s assistant conductor. This recording was made in 2017 but only having its first release here. I hope that Book 2 was already in the can and would be released soon.