The Most Beautiful Sounds Next to Silence

Keith Jarrett is probably better known to Gramophone readers as a jazz musician. Yet, in recent years he has recorded the First Book of Bach’s 48 on a piano (ECM, 10/88), the Second Book on a harpsichord (ECM, 9/91), and has furthermore appeared as an accompanist to the Danish recorder player, Michala Petri (RCA, 9/91). In this new release Jarrett has turned his attention to Handel, including in his programme four Suites from the collection published in London in 1720, another from the set published by Walsh as Vol. 2, c1733-4, and two (HWV447 and 452) which Handel composed c1738-9 for Princess Louisa, a daughter of George II.
Jarrett has painstakingly researched the project but has in one respect at least, arrived at an unfortunate conclusion. For in opting for a piano rather than a harpsichord he has prolonged a tradition of playing these pieces that has too frequently diminished their stature in the past. Whereas Bach’s counterpoint and his part-writing generally with its textural sostenuto, lends itself readily to performance on a modern piano, Handel’s altogether leaner textures and the improvisatory implications in his keyboard style on the whole do not. But then Jarrett himself would disagree, I suspect, since he fervently defends the choice of a piano in his interesting introductory note. Elsewhere, in a long introduction to the music by another hand, the German “Klavier” has been utterly misleadingly translated as “piano”, thereby clouding a crucial issue.
So there we are. My own feeling is that Jarrett has deprived us of what might well have been stylish, captivating and rhythmically buoyant performances of these Suites had he chosen a harpsichord. He didn’t and, in spite of what is undoubtedly accomplished playing, with clear articulation and a characteristically infectious feeling for dance-orientated movements, the result strikes my ears as unconvincing. At the very least, however, we should be grateful to Jarrett for his programme, which contains several pieces seldom included either in recordings or recitals of Handel’s keyboard music. For that and for his declared affection for music still sadly underrated, he deserves praise.'

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