Jill Crossland (piano)
J.S .Bach from the well-tempered Clavier: Bk 1- 3, 5, 6, 15, 20 (C major and minor, C# major, D major and minor, G major, A minor)
G Stoelzl (arr William H Harris after J S Bach) “Bist du bei mir”
Bach’s well-tempered Clavier (48 Preludes and Fugues) is widely seen as the greatest ever pedagogical keyboard work- two set of preludes and fugues in all possible keys, which may (or may not) have been linked to the arrival of equal temperament as a system for tuning instruments. The early preludes of Book 1 were first written specifically for Bach’s eldest son and clearly have an origin as finger-exercises- 6 is especially virtuosic and 15 is the last of these, while in 3 and in the fugues Bach experimented both with showcasing traditional fugal forms and with making such contrapuntal pieces more palatable by writing them in dance rhythms or with melodic interest. No. 15 is for example a concert allegro often compared to the harpsichord part of the fifth Brandenburg concerto.
Bist Du Bei Mir is known to us from Bach’s wife’s Anna Magdalena’s Notebook, copied into it by her. It is an arrangement of an aria from Gottfried Stoezel’s “Diomedes”. We don’t know if this was originally a folk song, was composed by Stoelzel (a contemporary of Bach) for his now-lost opera, or even by Bach himself, such is its quality and appeal. “If you are with me, I will go gladly unto my death and my rest”, the words say. This arrangement was made by William H Harris, organist at St George’s Windsor in WW2, whose singing pupils included Princesses Elizabeth (later The Queen) and Margaret. Harris arranged it for Maria Donska, a Polish Schnabel pupil, who made her pianistic career in London, arriving as a refugee from the Nazis.
Jill Crossland is originally from West Yorkshire, pursues an active concert and recording career and gave over fifty concerts last year. Jill has given many recitals on the South Bank and at the Wigmore Hall in London, and her other appearances have also included Cadogan, Bridgewater and Fairfield Halls, St George’s Bristol, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Vienna Musikverein, Vienna Konzerthaus, the National Concert Hall, Dublin and the Sage Gateshead. Jill has featured in the Classic FM Hall of Fame and her Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier has received high praise, described by the Penguin Guide as ‘a remarkable achievement, ranking with the finest’ Jill has appeared on radio and TV, including live and recorded broadcasts on BBC Radios 3 and 4. Jill has recorded Bach, Rameau, Mozart, Beethoven for Warner, Signum and other labels. Her new recording of Chopin is released by Signum this Easter and advance copies are available today.
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