For his recording of Bach’s The Art of Fugue, harpsichordist Sébastien Guillot includes the composer’s early autograph versions. Although Bach’s more familiar revisions generally were for the better, his first thoughts make for fascinating comparison. Contrapunctus 1’s first version contains alternate note readings and lacks the gorgeous coda Bach added as an inspired afterthought. If the piece often referred to as Contrapunctus 10 sounds as if it starts mid-stream, so to speak, that’s because we’re used to the 22 sublime bars Bach subsequently tacked on to the beginning. The early version of the canon in augmentation and inversion is fascinatingly florid, but without the revision’s extraordinary chromatic tension and melodic humor that Guillot brilliantly conveys. Other differences involve ornamental more than compositional refinements.
In an era where a few too many harpsichordists embrace these pieces with fussy agogics, crawling tempos, and a reverential halo, Guillot’s fleet, uncluttered, and enlivening interpretations are positively refreshing. Ornaments and cadenzas are infused with improvisatory joy, while Guillot’s rolled chords contain more gestural and expressive variety than we often hear. Should you prefer more repose and austerity (and some listeners undoubtedly will), I’d stick with Robert Hill, Gustav Leonhardt, and Davitt Moroney. But if Guillot’s extroversion entices, then by all means supplement your collection with this inexpensive, beautifully engineered release.
