Harpsichordist
Sergio Vartolo's magisterial performance of
Bach's monumental Die Kunst der Fuge is an intellectual and virtuoso tour de force, intellectual because of the rigor of the counterpoint and virtuoso because of the tremendous keyboard skill it takes to lucidly articulate
Bach's music. Despite their immense difficulties,
Vartolo consistently delivers readings of the 22 pieces of Die Kunst der Fuge that elucidate their counterpoint with absolute clarity and inexorable logic. For some listeners, though,
Vartolo's readings may be curiously unsatisfying. While his performance cannot technically be faulted, the intellectual purity of his playing may sooner or later become tiresome because the meaning and goal of the counterpoint lacks emotional content. This performance of Die Kunst der Fuge as a series of abstract musical equations may inspire admiration, but it is unlikely to inspire awe. Naxos' digital sound is cool and open.