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Wigmore Hall, London
The Art of Fugue was incomplete when Bach died. A compendium of contrapuntal pieces based on a theme that is regularly turned inside out and upside down over the course of its increasingly complex treatments, it was probably intended as a display of compositional mastery rather than for public performance; in fact, Bach left no indication of what instruments were intended to play it.
Though it is occasionally performed by an ensemble, more usually it is a solo keyboard player – often a harpsichordist or organist – who takes up the challenge. Here, the Russian pianist Konstantin Lifschitz did so with remarkable results.
One of the challenges is to maintain the distinct identities of the independent lines that amalgamate to form Bach's enriched, hierarchical textures. Here, their separate and special status within a larger continuum was perfectly realised. Far from being apologetic about performing Bach on a Steinway grand, Lifschitz maximised the instrument's potential for colour and tonal variety, while never overloading the overall sound picture; everything remained clear, even with a strong focus on the leading line, which pealed out with a bell-like clarity. If there were times when the result took on the grand manner of later composers – Beethoven, Schumann, even Shostakovich – it was a reminder how deeply Bach impacted on their styles.
Above all, it was in the dramatic continuity of Lifschitz's conception of the enormous collection, and the gentle, unshowy authority of his stage manner, that he was most persuasive, emphasising the work's qualities as living music as opposed to historic monument.
