Whether you’re preparing the Bach E flat sonata for All State Festival auditions next year, or just looking to start or expand your collection of Flute recordings, here are a few thoughts on selecting recordings of the Bach Sonatas for purchase and/or YouTube viewing.
First of all, note the “s” at the end of “recordings.” There’s no way that one single recording of the Bach Sonatas can give you the full experience of this wonderful music, or a full picture of your options in interpretation. There are recordings played on period instruments by performers who have spent their lives studying and doing their best to replicate the nuances of how these pieces would have been played in Bach’s time, and there are those playing modern instruments with varying degrees of interest in playing in the 17th century versus 20th and 21st century styles. There are even recordings by flutists well known primarily for their jazz or contemporary focus. Bach has that appeal for all time, adaptable to many tastes and preferences. Get as many recordings of the Bach Sonatas as you can – compare them, study them, note the differences and similarities in tone colors, shapes of the notes, tempos, dynamics, ornamentation, phrasing, breathing choices, articulations, and your own personal preferences. Or just listen and enjoy.You just can’t go wrong with Bach.
Here are some YouTube links to the E Flat Sonata. There are others – these are the ones that I found easily and thought particularly worth mentioning:
Emanuel Pahud, first and second movements (I particularly like his version of the Siciliano)
Michel Debost: Siciliano (second movement)
Here’s one played on wooden baroque flute – I prefer my notes with fuller shape, but gives the idea of the sound of the wooden instrument
There are others here, so feel free to explore!
I’ve gotten into the habit of purchasing CDs and MP3 downloads through Amazon, since they regularly have easy access and inexpensive recordings both new and used, but by all means feel free to find these elsewhere. I’ll provide links below to the albums on Amazon (click on the text). You can either order the CD or get an instant download to either burn a CD or (in some cases) load to your ipod – normally 99 cents per movement – so you could get several versions of the Bach E flat without spending a fortune.
Galway and Rampal are of course standard options, and their CDs can be among the most inexpensive as they’re normally available used. These are certainly beautiful recordings and fantastic for comparison with others.
Rampal has two versions available – click his name above for one, or here for another. (I haven’t compared them – I only have an old LP).
I am a huge Paula Robison fan, so have to include hers in the mix, though I personally tend to prefer her Romantic period interpretations over her baroque period interpretations. I have an old LP of her Bach Sonatas and haven’t yet heard her 2004 CD, but in general my experience is that if you get the Stephen Preston, then maybe Galway, Paula Robison’s version will be the most different from either among all the standard performers – so I love comparing her choices with the others, and even for that alone, it’s well worth having.
A couple more reliably beautiful and well known performers – I haven’t heard these particular recordings yet, but I’ve just ordered them and can count on their reputations:
Based on the brief clips of other performances available as sound bytes, I also felt that Joshua Smith’s recording might be worth a try.
I have to mention Hubert Laws – I really loved one of his jazz flute LPs when I was in high school – the brief sound clips available on Amazon sound like his is a good quality, standard interpretation, from what you can tell from a brief sound clip. I’m including it here just because I know him as primarily a jazz player and have enjoyed his playing, so why not!
Hope you enjoy this music as much as I have!
