Malcolm Proud (harpsichord)

English Suite No 2 - Bach

Prelude and Fugue No 8 (Book II) - Bach

French Suite No 6 - Bach

There has grown up such a mystique about the works of J.S. Bach that it is necessary to remind oneself that he was first and foremost a professional musician and a highly prolific one. If he sometimes reaches, to our minds, the heights of inspiration, it is because he ceaselessly practised his craft. The demands of his employers and patrons had to be satisfied; he could do this without compromising his gift but not always in exceptional fashion.

Malcolm Proud's harpsichord recital in St Ann's on Sunday showed different aspects of the composer. The English Suite No 2 overloads the dance forms (Allemande, Courante, Bourree, Gigue) with whirls of counterpoint, and only in the Sarabande is there room to breathe. To listen to them with proper appreciation one would need to be as rare a performer as Proud is. The French Suite No 6 is more approachable and the dances in it were played with a mixture of elegance and charm not always associated with Bach. The Prelude and Fugue in D Sharp minor from Book II of the "48" combined counterpoint with breathing space and elegance, and attained a seriousness that avoided the solemn.