Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV894

As harpsichordist, conductor, and musical director of the ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset is one of the finest interpreters of Baroque music. His first recording for Aparté, devoted to Louis Couperin, was received most enthusiastically by public and critics alike, and collected many distinctions in the international press including BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Choice.

Now at the peak of his maturity, the artist presents an original programme, Bach Fantasy, in which he treats us to little-known works but also standards by the great J.S. Bach. Apart from the important sets of works, including the Goldberg Variations, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the keyboard Suites and Partitas, many miscellaneous pieces by Bach have come down to us in the hand of his pupils and admirers: early essays, pieces of a didactic nature, evocations of emotions, and sometimes all of the above. Christophe Rousset plays these pieces on the 1632 Ruckers harpsichord of Neuchâtel, one of the finest in the world.

Among the wealth of works composed during his Weimar period, J. S. Bach made 22 keyboard transcriptions of concertos by Italian and German composers: six for two keyboards and pedal (BWV 592–596) and sixteen for keyboard (BWV 972–987), the latter of which are recorded here by multi award-winning harpsichordist Elizabeth Farr.

Complementing these masterful transcriptions is the Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV894, which Bach later reworked as the opening and closing movements of his Triple Concerto BWV1044.

Farr’s other Naxos recordings have been universally praised.

The rhythms of the dance have always provided composers with a vital source of inspiration. Bach was no exception, and a very high percentage of his music is related to the dance. Perhaps this is largely what gives it that marvellous vitality and spirit, and why it is so immediately appealing. The six French Suites contain some of Bach’s most attractive keyboard writing. The eight Little Preludes are among the most valuable pieces ever written for beginners, giving a wonderful introduction to voice imitation, pedal points, cadenza-like passages, and basic ornamentation. They cover many different moods and recall fond childhood memories. The remaining pieces on this recording are of a completely different nature. Both the Sonata in D minor, BWV964, and the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV894, are virtuoso pieces, intended to show off the ability of the performer. Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is the acknowledged master of Bach on the piano.