On Bach's Touch

Featuring

Cristiano Holtz
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Interpretation

The album explores "Bach's Touch," a refined and expressive keyboard technique primarily derived from the clavichord, which set J.S. Bach's playing apart from his contemporaries.

Compositional Technique

A core element of Bach's Touch is a gesture called "Schnellen," or snapping, where the fingertip withdraws from the key by gliding back towards the palm, enabling precise and smooth transfer of weight between fingers.

Interpretation

The performer's exploration of Bach's Touch is based on four historical sources: J.J. Quantz's "Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen" (1752), C.P.E. Bach's "Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen" (1753), J.N. Forkel's "Ueber Johann Sebastian Bach's Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke" (1802), and F.C. Griepenkerl's "Chromatische Fantasie" (1819).

Performer Biography

Cristiano Holtz has received major awards for his acclaimed recordings, including the Diapason d'Or and Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

Interpretation

This technique, when applied properly, results in remarkable clarity and evenness in fast passages, ornaments, and repeated notes, producing a tone that sustains longer and resonates more fully.

Performer Biography

Cristiano Holtz, the performer on this album, began harpsichord studies at age twelve and was profoundly influenced by Gustav Leonhardt, who accepted him as his last official pupil.