Angela Hewitt BACH Fantasia in C minor / Two-Part Inventions / Three-Part Inventions / Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue (1 / 15)

Fantasia in C minor BWV906

The Fantasia in C minor begins with tremendous force and decision. Its energy comes from three motifs: a descending arpeggio in the right hand (which soon becomes, in the left hand, an ascending one), an octave leap, and a rattling trill. In the fifth bar Bach introduces two more fragments—a chromatic scale and a playful leaping figure—both of which play major roles later on (the latter appearing in a treacherous passage close to the end where many a player will come to grief!). Much of its appeal lies in the sections that require hand-crossing—both the Italian type (using large skips), and in the French manner (one hand playing within the span of the other). Written sometime around 1738, this work must surely have influenced Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel in his development of sonata form. (from notes by Angela Hewitt © 1994) 

                                

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor BWV903

For sheer virtuosity and drama, the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue is hard to match. Probably begun in Cöthen in 1720, but revised in Leipzig ten years later, it has always been one of Bach’s most popular keyboardworks, even during his own lifetime. The opening flourishes begin a toccata-like improvisation in which Bach makes use of the entire keyboard (as it was then). The arpeggios that follow provide a point of rest, although certainly not from harmonic interest. The execution of these has always been a subject of debate. Mendelssohn wrote to his sister, Fanny, after a performance in 1840: ‘I take the liberty of playing the arpeggios with all possible crescendos, and pianos, and fortissimos, pedal of course, and doubling the octaves in the bass.’ These days a more simple approach is favoured! The ensuing recitative would have been more effective on Bach’s favourite keyboard instrument, the clavichord, since it calls for flexible dynamics and shading which, more than the harpsichord, it was able to provide. The Fantasia winds down in a beautiful five-bar coda, with diminished seventh chords descending over a pedal point in the bass. The three-part Fugue begins very quietly, but gradually gains momentum. The sixteenth-notes (semiquavers) drive it forward, full chords add emphasis, octaves reinforce the bass, and all ends triumphantly! (from notes by Angela Hewitt © 1994)