Bach: Bach Arrangements Vinyl LP

This delightful disc offers a selection from the wealth of piano transcriptions of Bach’s music. The Bach revival that gathered momentum during the nineteenth century created a climate for many composer-pianists to interpret his works through their own piano transcriptions, whether of chorale preludes, organ works or other instrumental music. Much of Bach’s music was made domestically available via such arrangements (and the tradition continued well into the twentieth century, even after Bach originals were well known). Indeed, the practice of such transcriptions was widely used by Bach himself, who freely adapted his own and others’ music for different instrumental settings.

One of today’s finest Bach pianists, Angela Hewitt concentrates primarily on those arrangements of Bach that keep pianistic elaboration and virtuosity in proportion: whatever instrument his music is played on, Bach should still sound like Bach. Eugen d’Albert’s magnificent transcription of the C minor Passacaglia and Fugue for organ, BWV582, is included, as are four beautiful transcriptions by Wilhelm Kempff, and a number of arrangements by English composers that were included in A Bach Book for Harriet Cohen (a collection compiled for the pianist Harriet Cohen, who knew many English composers of the early twentieth century). Angela Hewitt also includes a transcription of her own. A fascinating companion to Angela Hewitt’s acclaimed Bach recordings for Hyperion, this ravishing disc will appeal to lovers of Bach as much as connoisseurs of the piano.

This 180g LP is part of Hyperion’s 2026 Vinyl Edition.

SIDE A

J.S. Bach: Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29: I. Sinfonia (Arr. Kempff for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Flute Sonata in E-Flat Major, BWV 1031: II. Siciliano (Arr. Kempff for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 (Arr. Kempff for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639 (Arr. Kempff for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 "Hunting Cantata" : X. Sheep May Safely Graze (Arr. Howe for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein, BWV 641 (Arr. Hewitt for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Arr. Hess for Piano)

SIDE B

J.S. Bach: Herzlich tut mich verlangen, BWV 727 (Arr. Walton for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Meine Seele erhebt den Herrn, BWV 648 (Arr. Ireland for Piano)
J.S. Bach: O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross, BWV 622 (Arr. Howells for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BWV 22: V. Chorale. Sanctify Us By Thy Goodness (Arr. Cohen for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott, BWV 127: III. Aria. Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen (Arr. Bauer for Piano)
J.S. Bach: Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582 (Arr. Albert for Piano)