Bach: Goldberg Variations
David Fray (piano) (Erato)
(scroll down for English review)
又是一個要用兩張CD才彈得完的《哥德堡變奏曲》，用鋼琴彈，全部重覆奏都彈，長87分鐘。但我要強調David Fray不只是慢，甚至我會說「不是」慢，因為在流行「偽古鍵琴」的鋼琴巴哈之下，他的彈法應該是獨步天下。如果一拍有四個16分音符，一般人彈的是四個音符，慢速的人彈的是四個慢音符，Fray卻是彈出四個美麗的音符，四個「都」美麗的音符。
對我來說，他這樣彈是很反常識的，是彈鋼琴音樂的常識。他的觸鍵很大力，很硬的撞下去，聲音不圓潤，但卻是full-bodied。這樣彈才是真正用現代鋼琴，彈得出古鍵琴的質感、或者是一個古鍵琴家會怎樣詮釋這種音樂。可能更重要的是，這種速度及琴音，並不是為了甚麼哲學境界：這往往就是沉溺的委婉詞，Fray這種彈法反而是表達出最純粹的音樂。
Here’s another double-CD Goldberg Variations played on piano. David Fray took 87 minutes and he played all repeats. But I must say he wasn’t just being slow, or more precisely, he didn’t sound slow at all. His Bach is truly distinctive among the prevailing trend of super-staccato, pseudo-harpsichord piano Bach. If a beat has four 16th notes, the average pianist plays four notes, the slow pianist plays four slow notes, but Fray plays four beautiful notes, four equally beautiful notes.
To me, his approach goes against the logic of “good” piano playing. He punches onto the keys like a traditional typewriter. Instead of a rounded sound Fray produces a sharp but full-bodied sound. Finally here’s a pianist who is able to reproduce harpsichord playing on a modern piano and he understands how a harpsichordist would approach such music. More importantly, despite the slowness there is nothing philosophical (which usually means self-indulgence) in Fray’s interpretation. This is music and nothing but music.