Released today on Azure Hills Music is my recording of the complete Bach Inventions & Sinfonias. You’ll find it available for digital download and streaming through multiple providers including iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Tidal and more.
This recording chronicles my journey of exploring these keyboard works. I consulted lots of editions and manuscripts during this venture. The recordings are infused with hints of interpretations I’ve heard over the years from admired keyboardists. I purposely rejected several 20th Century viewpoints on Bach interpretation, finding that particularly during the time of my youth and learning, a specific approach to Bach had taken shape sought to mimic the idiosyncracies of the harpsichord. Following years of diving into the interpretations of harpsichordists and playing through many of these works on my clavichord, I’ve put that rigid constraint to the side. Instead, I find these pieces work best on the piano when they are infused with the instrument’s dynamic colour, shading, and personality.
I recorded these works a number of years ago as a personal remembrance. Coming back to these over the years, I kept hearing aspects of the performances that continued to strike me as unique and creative. The thought of releasing the recordings kept coming around. However, the recordings were made on, well let’s say, it was several recording rigs ago in my past. While I’ve recorded direct to DSD for the past few years, these performances were captured on a rig with maximum resolution of 16/44.1. Long cable lengths and some mixer anomalies presented additional challenges in getting the recordings readied. Izotope software was particularly helpful in correcting some eq peaks that I thought for some time just might not be fixable. In the end, I was able to compensate for the technical obstacles of the original sessions with this final mastering.
Technical notes for the recording:
Piano: Kawai RX-6
Microphones: Audio Technica ATM-31a placed in an xy pattern
Digital signal path
Recording engineer: Arthur Dobrucki
I enjoyed exploring and playing these pieces. I hope you enjoy listening.
CDBaby direct link – Bach Inventions & Sinfonias performed by Arthur Dobrucki:
http://store.cdbaby.com/cd/arthurdobrucki