Bach vs Bach Transcribed

". . . an intriguing mix of solo Bach . . . Grimaud is a vigorous, sometimes aggressive Bach player who understands and internalises the kind of rhythmic drive that made Glenn Gould tick . . . She spins gorgeously contoured cantabiles in the A minor and E major Book 2 Preludes . . . the C sharp minor Book 1 Prelude and Fugue radiates nuance, linear dimension and a captivating organic flow that evokes Edwin Fischer and Samuel Feinberg at their most sublime . . . While Grimaud imbues Busoni's violin transcription with freewheeling momentum and organ-like sustaining power and resonance, she scales down Liszt's organ transcription to more intimate, less gothic tonal dimensions, and quite convincingly so at that." --Gramophone, February 2009

Once again, charismatic Hélène Grimaud presents an album with an individual concept. Bach vs. Bach Transcribed brings together original keyboard works by the master with works by Bach arranged (transcribed) for the piano by pianist-composers of later generations: Busoni, Liszt, Rachmaninov. This is the first time that Hélène Grimaud has recorded Bach – a challenge for any musician. The repertoire includes the famous Well-Tempered Clavier II and the Concerto no. 1 in D minor, the latter performed with Grimaud’s regular collaborators, the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Bach “Transcribed” features the Bach/Busoni version of the Chaconne in D minor, the Violin Partita in E major arranged for piano by Rachmaninov, and Liszt’s version of the Prelude and Fugue in A minor

A landmark project in Grimaud’s successful career