Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
There are many reasons a musician would choose to perform and record Bach's Partitas for keyboard; one is that it's something of a rite of passage for keyboardists attempting to reach wider audiences, but as Martin Helmchen notes here, musicians "need to find one's own voice" while also staying true to the sound of the music as Bach intended. The draw to this album for many will surely be the instrument Helmchen chose to express his voice, an original Späth und Schmahl tangent piano ("tangentenflügel") from 1790 on loan for this recording from Georg Ott, who restored the instrument after its 2006 discovery in the estate attic of Classical-period publisher Johann Esaias von Seidel. It is an interesting-sounding instrument, sharing qualities of a harpsichord, clavichord, and fortepiano. It has stops and dampers, which Helmchen makes full use of, offering a range of expressivity that one would not get from a harpsichord while not entirely losing the sound one would expect from the era in which the works were written. Consider the Sarabande of the Partita No. 3, BWV 827; the strings sound as if plucked by a finger (or a harpsichord jack) without the same resonance one would get from a harpsichord, and wholly different than a sound a modern piano would make. Helmchen is a consistently precise player, and the tangent piano's action responds well, so Bach's counterpoint rings clear in these performances. His tempos are generally more deliberate than many other recordings on the market, which might not be to everyone's taste, but the album is recommended for the opportunity to hear this fascinating instrument.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
From $10.83/month
Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
DISC 2
Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Martin Helmchen, MainArtist - Nikolaus Löwe, MasteringEngineer - Didier Martin, AAndRAdministrator, ExecutiveProducer - Benjamin Ihnow, RecordingEngineer - Philipp Reif, RecordingEngineer - Louise Burel, AssistantProducer
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Album review
There are many reasons a musician would choose to perform and record Bach's Partitas for keyboard; one is that it's something of a rite of passage for keyboardists attempting to reach wider audiences, but as Martin Helmchen notes here, musicians "need to find one's own voice" while also staying true to the sound of the music as Bach intended. The draw to this album for many will surely be the instrument Helmchen chose to express his voice, an original Späth und Schmahl tangent piano ("tangentenflügel") from 1790 on loan for this recording from Georg Ott, who restored the instrument after its 2006 discovery in the estate attic of Classical-period publisher Johann Esaias von Seidel. It is an interesting-sounding instrument, sharing qualities of a harpsichord, clavichord, and fortepiano. It has stops and dampers, which Helmchen makes full use of, offering a range of expressivity that one would not get from a harpsichord while not entirely losing the sound one would expect from the era in which the works were written. Consider the Sarabande of the Partita No. 3, BWV 827; the strings sound as if plucked by a finger (or a harpsichord jack) without the same resonance one would get from a harpsichord, and wholly different than a sound a modern piano would make. Helmchen is a consistently precise player, and the tangent piano's action responds well, so Bach's counterpoint rings clear in these performances. His tempos are generally more deliberate than many other recordings on the market, which might not be to everyone's taste, but the album is recommended for the opportunity to hear this fascinating instrument.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 40 track(s)
- Total length: 02:23:43
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Martin Helmchen
- Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
- Label: Alpha Classics
- Genre: Classical
2024 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2024 radio3 & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Distinctions:
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
Playlists