Even when playing Bach on a modern piano, most pianists interpret the composer's music through a Baroque stylistic lens: sharp attacks, quick releases, little to no pedal, a palate restricted to black and white and shades of gray, and a sense of austerity. Running against this trend, Soviet pianist
Tatiana Nikolayeva plays Bach as if he were a Romantic composer. Fittingly, then, for this Regis disc licensed from A-Tempo in Prague,
Nikolayeva fittingly chose a program of transcriptions with a similar emphasis: six by Busoni, including the demonic Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; the titanic Chaconne from the Partita in D minor, BWV 1004; one by
Myra Hess; the serene "Jesu bleibt meine Freude" from the Cantata No. 147; and one by
Wilhelm Kempff, the haunting "Siciliano" from the Sonata in G minor, BWV 1031.
These are all deeply Romantic performances.
Nikolayeva's tone is rich and full with a bass that echoes deeply. Her lines are legato, each singing with complete independence. Her sonorities are lushly colored and balanced between clarity and warmth.
Nikolayeva favors a very flexible tempo rubato, especially in slow movements, and her phrasing shapes the music extensively. Though they may antagonize purists, these are compelling performances that find universal themes in music three centuries old. Skillfully remastered by Paul Arden-Taylor from performances taped in Moscow in 1980, the sound here is surprisingly clear and real.