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Bach in Transcription on CD

The art of transcription is a very old and time honored craft, dating as far back as the Middle Ages when vocal compositions were often transcribed for the pipe organ and lute. During the subsequent Baroque period, this practice became even more widespread, culminating with works of Johann Sebastian Bach, who is acknowledged today as perhaps the greatest keyboard transcriber in history. Over half of his transcriptions were based either on his own pre-existing compositions or adapted from the works of others.

In the mid nineteenth century Romantic movement, Bach's works were rediscovered and thousands of transcriptions were created from his tremendous musical output. Most of these transcriptions were composed by virtuoso pianists, serving the dual purpose of presenting music that would not otherwise be frequently heard while concomitantly providing virtuoso repertoire for pianists to demonstrate their talents.

Bach and Liszt are certainly among the most important composers in the history of keyboard literature. There are many similarities between them. Both were prolific composers as well as great virtuosos on different keyboard instruments and both were important representatives of their respective Baroque and Romantic periods. Bach and Liszt also demonstrated a predilection for composing skillful transcriptions for keyboard instruments. Of paramount significance, both Bach and Liszt were inspired by strong religious convictions.

By the time Liszt appeared on the scene, the piano had evolved to a complete and powerful instrument that was discovered to be capable of providing a greater depth of expression than any other instrument. To a great extent, Liszt's transcriptions were pioneering efforts and are recognized today as an extremely important body of work. After his death, Ferruccio Busoni, Leopold Godowsky, Alexander Siloti, Harold Bauer and other prominent composers, artists and students, ushered the art of the transcription into the twentieth century.

As the twentieth century progressed, transcriptions unfortunately largely disappeared from concert programs. Busoni, the twentieth century Italian composer and pianist, believed that this disappearance was the consequence of inferior performances of Liszt's works by superficial virtuosos who emphasized brilliance at the expense of melody and substance. Indeed, some of the Romantic transcriptions are fiendishly difficult and a tremendous test of a pianist s abilities. For Busoni, whether a piece was a transcription or not was irrelevant because he believed that all music existed in the cosmos and, consequently, a composer's original work actually constituted the first transcription! For him, a "subsequent* transcription of an original work was, by comparison, a relatively modest step.

American pianist Jean Alexis Smith has enjoyed a versatile career as a concerto soloist, chamber musician and solo recitalist. A native of California, Smith has performed solo recitals at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and Paul Hall in Lincoln Center. Other solo performances include the Conservatorio de Musica Statale Naples, the American Academy in Rome and the opening recital of the Fundao International Piano Competition. In San Francisco, she has given solo recitals at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, Performances at 6, The Commonwealth Club and Old First Concerts. Appearances with orchestras include the North Jersey Philharmonic and Carleton College Orchestra in Minnesota, and in California with the San Jose Symphony, Kensington Orchestra, Nova Vista Symphony and Stanford University Orchestra. Chamber music appearances include the San Jose Symphony Chamber Players, New World String Quartet, San Francisco Wind Ensemble, Women's Philharmonic Chamber Players, Stanford Contemporary Music Ensemble and the Baroque Arts Ensemble in California.