# JS Bach's Keyboard Toccatas



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

BWV 910-916. 

Do you like them, rate them? I believe they were written in Bach's younger years but they are quite impressive statements of what was to come. There is a lot going on and he writes some beautifully subtle harmonies plus many melodies. 

Finally, are they better played on Harpsichord or Piano?


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Give me piano any day (not a harpsichord fan, and I make no secret of it).

I've heard a few of these, and I like 911 and 916 pretty well.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Piano by Glenn Gould


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

The Toccatas are excellent works, but they aren't among Bach's best. On piano, I agree with Gould as first place. For harpsichord, I haven't found a better set than Peter Watchorn's on Hanssler Classics. If everything else is equal, I always prefer Bach on harpsichord. That being said, my favorite Bach keyboardist is Rosalyn Tureck.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Bulldog said:


> The Toccatas are excellent works, but they aren't among Bach's best. On piano, I agree with Gould as first place. For harpsichord, I haven't found a better set than Peter Watchorn's on Hanssler Classics. If everything else is equal, I always prefer Bach on harpsichord. That being said, my favorite Bach keyboardist is Rosalyn Tureck.


I find Watchorn's style a tad too relaxed for these proper Stylus Phantasticus works. Also Watchorn's newer recording on Musica Omnia is more refined as to some agogic details than the Haenssler recording, and the instrument is more interesting.

On harpsichord BTW I prefer Léon Berben, Irina Rees, Bob van Asperen (the Telefunken recording - not the EMI), Trevor Pinnock and Kenneth Gilbert for complete sets. Pierre Hantaï and Lars Ulrik Mortensen have made interesting recordings of some of the toccatas.

I am not a great fan of Bach on piano (and I make no secret of it), but consider Ivo Janssen and Siegfried Stöckigt to be among the more listenable in this music.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

There are remarkable alternatives to Gould. I've been playing to death the Toccata performances by Amandine Savary. These are modern rather than HIP performances, recorded in great sound... I love the Bach Toccatas, which I consider highly underrated and deserving of far greater interest... the beauty of Amandine's spirited & articulate performances, which are revealed with repeated hearings:


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

I love the 913, is one of my favorites solo keyboard works. I'm not a big fan of Bach on piano, so I prefer the harpsichord, I often listen to Chiara Massini.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

The Toccatas are probably my least favorite solo harpsichord/piano pieces by Bach. I only listen to piano recordings of this repertoire - I know it's the wrong thing to do, but I just can't get into the sound of a harpsichord solo.
On CD I have Glenn Gould and Angela Hewitt.


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