Zuzana Růžičková: Bach
The first lady of the Czech harpsichord, Zuzana Růžičková, celebrates this year her 90th birthday. On this occasion, a set of twenty remastered CDs with the work of Johann Sebastian Bach was published, as this interpreter recorded in 1965-1974 (originally released in on LPs). At the time, the project raised considerable international acclaim (Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros), contributed to the renaissance of the harpsichord as a solo instrument and joined the first line of projects promoting the interpretation of early music. This re-issue is meaningful and justified for several reasons: 1. It is a document, a source that can serve to explore various interpretative approaches of a certain period of time, 2. It gives testimony of one outstanding personality of Czech music, in addition to the time when she was a mature interpreter, 3. it is not only the main protagonist but also the others who have been making their way in the field of interpretation of early music; 4. Last but not least, it is a nice reminder for the listeners who grew up with these recordings.
It would be somehow short-sighted to approach these recordings from the strict view of historical informed performance and the present state of knowledge about Bach's music, on the other hand, it would be very inaccurate to think that the concept of Zuzana Růžičková, as captured here, does not stand a chance today.
This interpreter performed all the compositions with a clear picture of each phrase, and every tone, she had in her mind not only the musical but also the literary-philosophical meaning and undoubtedly at the same time worked on her own dramatic experiences. (As a teenager, Růžičková was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps of Terezin and Auschwitz, and was then transported to the Bergen-Belsen death camp. She was liberated in April 1945 and returned to Plzeň later that year). I cannot imagine that such a strong testimony would not touch any of listeners nor in one of its positions.
The author of the sleeve note, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, very aptly describes the harpsichordist as one of the "last romantic" among Bach's interpreters. Let's not imagine, however, under this notion a playful, or perhaps even emotionally puzzled, foolish, or overly dense sound. On the contrary, Růžičková is mathematically pregnant in her speech, inventive in sound and treats emotions very carefully. (Everyone would unerringly identify the more emotional places because they head straight to the heart.) The tempo is sometimes slower than we are used to, but not always and also, I think, not to the detriment of music.
Most of the compositions are played on modern instruments (Neupert, Ammer), except preludes, inventions, sinfonies, Suite E flat major BWV 817 and other small pieces (CDs 6, 14, 15) that were recorded on a two-manual instrument of Johann Heinrich Hemsche 1754 (at the time of making the recording owned by the builder Claude Mercier-Ythier, nowadays in the Bavarian National Museum in Munich) and 1761 (Musée de la Musique, Paris). I think, this is the reason why the three other excellent albums are slightly better than others. Bach's music is even more beautiful here.
We should not forget the extraordinary music partners of Zuzana Růžičková, whose art is worth remembering and which I would call the trio of lyricists and masters of the tonal painting: violinist Josef Suk (Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1014-1019, Concerto for Flute, Violin, and Harpsichord BWV 1044), cellist Pierre Fournier (Sonata for Cello and Harpsichord No. 1-3 BWV 1027-1029) and flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal (BWV 1044). Thanks for this flood of musical poetry.
Zuzana Růžičková – harpsichord, Jiří Suk – violin, Pierre Fournier – cello, Jean-Pierre Rampal – flute, Prague Soloists, Eduard Fischer - conductor. Recorded: 1965 – 1974. 20 CD Digitally remastered Erato/Warner Classics 0190295930448.
© Dina Snejdarova
Published with a kind permission of Czech classical music magazine Harmonie 4/2017. www.casopisharmonie.cz
