The problem with declaring favorites is that it discredits my impartiality. Fortunately, I have never suggested that I tried to be an impartial reviewer in this blog. Furthermore, impartiality in musical taste is an illusion, at best, and self-deception, at worst.
A good blind test happens when I am playing a recording and my wife asks, "Who is this? He really has something to say!" Indeed, what I find with Alard is that he really has something to say even with over-performed and over-recorded pieces. He has that calm sensibility that makes music sound natural and unforced. Some will prefer the show-off, the conscious virtuoso; Alard may not appeal to them.
This recording consists of two very popular and over-recorded Bach works. Their popularity, like the Partitas, is well-founded: Bach at his best. Both tend to bring out the over-dramatic, often resulting in a somewhat manic Italian Concerto and melodramatic French Overture. Alard plays these as music that he loves and needs no hamming-up. They just make sense.
The instrument is an unspecified German design by Anthony Sidey that provides a warm clarity to the music. A "German design" could mean a number of things, but I suspect this instrument is inspired by Mietke, which would mean it has brass strings, giving it an "italianate" sound. The Alpha recording captures the sound very nicely.
This recording leaves me with a dilemma: I love Alard's recordings of the Clavier Übung I and II. Book III is, of course, the Goldberg Variations. I have imposed something of a moratorium on Goldberg recordings: I already have at least a dozen recordings. I need another one like I need...
