Kun-Woo Paik - Bach / Busoni: Piano Transcription (2000)

When reviewing a CD such as this, one must first decide whether to review it as if it were music by Bach or Busoni. In essence, it is both, and neither. Busoni was a great lover of Bach's music, and, as a homage to Bach, as well as a way of making his works more accessible, made his own, personal transcriptions of various works for piano.
This disc includes 14 works, originally for organ, for the most part, along with the famous transcription of the Chaconne from the D Major violin partita. Some of these transcriptions recall Bach's music almost exactly, such as the choral prelude BWV 645, where the piano evokes the atmosphere of the work. Others sound too pianistic, such as the choral prelude BWV 734, where the sound is confused and too rapid for the themes to come through clearly.
Kun-Woo Paik is, in any case, an excellent performer of the organ works. His sensitivity and phrasing are admirable, and the recording is near-perfect. Yet, as one familiar with Bach's music played "non-transcribed", I cannot help but wonder if he is comfortable with this repertory. This is a romanticised vision of Bach; far from what some pianists, such as Murray Perahia, achieve, and light-years away from the great Bach pianists such as Glen Gould or Rosalyn Tureck.
But, in the end, this isn't Bach. Listening to the famous Chaconne, one is struck by the lack of clear direction of the performance. Originally written for solo violin, and, indeed, one of Bach's masterpieces requiring the utmost virtuosity, this work translates poorly to the piano. Paik's interpretation shifts among many different registers - at first his sound is almost martial, then it slips into a more pastoral tone, before wandering off into a mixture of different registers that leave the listener slightly confused as his virtuosity takes over. Then it slides into a Beethoven-like attack on the piano's very core, with fortissimo after fortissimo. (I may be wrong here, because I have never seen Busoni's score for this work - Paik may simply be reproducing the dynamics indicated by Busoni). There are too many changes in tempo and dynamics for my taste; but I prefer Bach as his music was written.
If you especially like these works as such, then this disc is worth a listen. The performance is interesting, and the recording excellent. But if you are a real lover of Bach, this is not for you.
An attractive recording of some of Busoni's transcriptions of Bach - neither Bach nor Busoni, but some of the music works well on piano.