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After Bach

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After Bach
Recording by
Brad Mehldau
ReleasedMarch 9, 2018
RecordedApril 18–20, 2017
StudioMechanics Hall (Worcester, Massachusetts)
GenreClassical
Length69:16
LabelNonesuch
ProducerBrad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau chronology
Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau
(2015–16) 		After Bach
(2017) 		Finding Gabriel
(2017–18)

After Bach is a solo album by pianist Brad Mehldau. It consists of five compositions from Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier interspersed with pieces by Mehldau that were inspired by them. The performances were recorded in 2017 and released by Nonesuch Records the following year.

Background

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Pianist Brad Mehldau is known predominantly as a jazz musician who incorporates numerous influences into his playing.[1] Among these influences is classical music—Mehldau was classically trained—including the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.[2] Bach was an excellent keyboardist, a necessary part of which, during his lifetime, was the ability to improvise.[1][3] While such improvisation has largely been lost from classical music performance, it is fundamental to jazz musicians.[1]

The origins of After Bach were 2015 performances by Mehldau of his compositions that were inspired by Bach and commissioned by Carnegie Hall, The Royal Conservatory of Music, The National Concert Hall, and Wigmore Hall.[4] These were known as "Three Pieces After Bach".[5]

Music and recording

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The album was recorded on April 18–20, 2017, at Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts.[4] Mehldau also produced the album.[4]

The first and last pieces on the album are Mehldau compositions.[3] In the first, "a few simple lines are developed in unexpected ways, gather complexity and then resolve with the simplicity of a perfect cadence".[3] For the last, "the bustle of counterpoint is set aside as stark voicings gain warmth, sparse lines hover in space and a wistful melody lingers in the air".[3] Between these two, Mehldau plays four preludes and one fugue from Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier; each is followed by one of his own compositions that is an interpretation of the Bach piece.[2][3] One is of the Prelude No. 3 in C-sharp major, which features the pianist "resetting Bach's original riff in a jerky 5/4 rhythm and taking it into a harmonically adventurous labyrinth. Similarly, a romantic, rubato-heavy reading of the F minor Prelude and Fugue is followed by a dreamlike meditation on some of the themes hinted at in Bach's original".[2]

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
AllMusic[6]
Financial Times[3]
The Irish Times[7]
laut.de[8]
Le Devoir[9]
PopMatters8/10[10]
Stereophile[11]
The Times[12]
Tom HullB[13]

After Bach was released by Nonesuch Records on March 9, 2018.[14] The Financial Times reviewer described it as a "beautifully formed solo piano album".[3] The reviewer for The Guardian commented on the harmonic complexities in the Mehldau pieces, and noted that the last two tracks were more straightforward to engage with emotionally.[2] AllMusic summarized the record as "a warm, endlessly listenable album that still pushes plenty of musical boundaries".[6]

Track listing

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  1. "Before Bach: Benediction" – 5:27
  2. "The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, BWV 848: Prelude No. 3 in C# Major" – 1:21
  3. "After Bach: Rondo" – 8:21
  4. "The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, BWV 870: Prelude No. 1 in C Major" – 2:36
  5. "After Bach: Pastorale" – 3:46
  6. "The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, BWV 855: Prelude No. 10 in E Minor" – 2:16
  7. "After Bach: Flux" – 5:06
  8. "The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, BWV 857: Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F Minor" – 6:10
  9. "After Bach: Dream" – 7:50
  10. "The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, BWV 885: Fugue No. 16 in G Minor" – 3:04
  11. "After Bach: Ostinato" – 12:20
  12. "Prayer for Healing" – 11:06

Source:[4]

Personnel

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  • Brad Mehldau – piano

Charts

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Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 61
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 84
French Albums (SNEP)[17] 142
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 94
Italian Albums (FIMI)[19] 78
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[20] 45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 78
US Top Classical Albums (Billboard)[22] 3
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[23] 1

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Georgievski, Nenad (March 2, 2018). "Brad Mehldau: After Bach album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Lewis, John (March 1, 2018). "Contemporary Album of the Month – Brad Mehldau: After Bach". The Guardian. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Hobart, Mike (March 9, 2018). "Brad Mehldau: After Bach – 'Beautifully Formed Solo Album'". Financial Times. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "After Bach by Brad Mehldau". nonesuch.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Fordham, John (December 18, 2015). "Brad Mehldau Review – A Balance of Space and Intensity Perfectly Struck". The Guardian. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Collar, Matt. "Brad Mehldau – After Bach". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  7. ^ Larkin, Cormac (9 March 2018). "Brad Mehldau: After Bach review – Bigging up, not jazzing up, the great composer". The Irish Times. irishtimes.com. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  8. ^ Benassi, Giuliano. "Der New Yorker Pianist spielt Bach auf eigene Weise" (in German). laut.de. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. ^ Rondo, Écoutez (23 March 2018). "After Bach, Brad Mehldau". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  10. ^ INGALLS, CHRIS (21 March 2018). "A Mere Listen to Brad Mehldau's 'After Bach' Can Stave Off Life's Stresses". PopMatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  11. ^ Baird, Robert (18 May 2018). "Recording of June 2018: After Bach". Stereophile. stereophile.com. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  12. ^ Bungey, John (16 March 2018). "Jazz reviews: Brad Mehldau: After Bach/ Michael Wollny Trio: Oslo/ Wartburg". The Times. thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Brad Mehldau". Tom Hull. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Nonesuch Releases Brad Mehldau's After Bach on March 9". bradmehldau.com. January 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Brad Mehldau – After Bach" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Brad Mehldau – After Bach" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Brad Mehldau – After Bach". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Brad Mehldau – After Bach" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  19. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Brad Mehldau – After Bach". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  20. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Brad Mehldau – After Bach". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Brad Mehldau – After Bach". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  22. ^ "Brad Mehldau Chart History (Top Classical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  23. ^ "Brad Mehldau Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
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