Bach, J S: Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV828

“Big effects are a hallmark of Koopman's style. The playing throughout these suites is consistently extrovert and red-blooded, with frequent changes of registration...There's rarely a sense of hesitation in Koopman's paying, even when a certain tentativeness is called for...The upside to all of this is dramatic interest and clarity.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“Bach's impervious logicality here applied to such frothy material as the opening "Praeambulum" to the Partita No 5 in G major, and its later "Passepied" and "Gigue", where the balance of formality and courtly danceability is held in perfect equilibrium by Ashkenazy.” The Independent, 2nd July 2010 ****

“...he plays them with uncomplicated joy, content to let Bach’s poetry and intellectual fibre speak for themselves. Articulation is crisp without ever being mannered, and the speedy dance numbers really dance. Stately preludes stand proud and tall...while the sarabandes shimmer with beauty.” The Times, 17th July 2010 ****

“Bach's music seems to have lit a youthful spark under Vladimir Ashkenazy's 70-something fingers, and in fact there's nothing remotely arthritic about these joyful, invigorating and technically impressive Partita interpretations...Ashkenazy's innate musicality, impeccable taste and obvious love for these works permeate every bar.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2010

“His playing is intense, focused, almost austere....Ashkenazy refuses to seduce us with tonal opulence on this engrossing recording, yet that itself is a kind of seduction.” The Telegraph, 6th August 2010 ****

“Ashkenazy's dexterity is breathtaking. The bounding left hand of self-fulfilling sequences of the Capriccio and the breathless Gigue (No. 2) are thrilling...At the other extreme, Ashkenazy is intensely sensitive...A fascinating opportunity for direct access to Bach, with minimal obstruction from his interpreter,” BBC Music Magazine, September 2010 ****

“The thrill of fresh discovery runs through this set, with some exciting movements – like the last of Partita No 2 – dashed off with effortless virtuosity, while the sarabandes are very intense and sustained.” The Observer, 15th August 2010

“Ashkenazy's new recording stands high among recent versions of the Partitas on the modern piano” International Record Review, October 2010

“It's certainly faster than his own earlier recording. But more important is the sense that Kovacevich has now encompassed the extremes of the work more fully. His understanding of Beethoven's juxtapositions of beauty and crudity, reflection and action, and the sheer dynamic range, are fully exposed in this new version, which captures the piano sound beautifully. A disc to treasure.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009

“Kovacevich brings penetrating insight and a thrilling physical involvement. From the outset there is a driving momentum and crispness of articulation, and the bristling energy of so many variations makes the slower ones stand out in compelling relief, without needing especially slow tempos... one of the most impressive things about this new recording is the powerful feeling of live music-making. It is alive and spontaneous, and the overall physical and emotional sweep here is exciting and enormously fulfilling.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 *****

“[The Diabellis are] custom built for Kovacevich. Nothing this artist does is less than compelling” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“These three Bach partitas present Perahia at his most civilised. Awesome clarity in the fingerwork, yet nothing freezing into a mannerism: that’s the special hallmark of No 2. No 4 brings architectural grandeur, and a marvellously trilling courante. No 3’s sarabande twiddles its thumbs – the only spot where Perahia’s refinement outdistances feeling. Glenn Gould’s performance offers strutting quirks, but Perahia takes us close to heaven.” The Times, 18th April 2008 ****

“[Perahia's] studies at the harpsichord have encouraged a lightness of touch in his piano playing here, even in the more solid movements such as the Second Partita's opening Sinfonia, where clarity and litheness seem more important to him than over-pedalled severity. The dances are enjoyed for their contrapuntal play as much as for their rhythmic course, and Perahia's ornamentation is judicious; only an occasionally over-emphasised sectional approach to structure mars the flow.” The Telegraph, 12th April 2008

“In Murray Perahia's hands Bach's Partitas not only work well on the modern concert grand but also sound completely at home. The pianist's vibrant and variegated sonority perpetually sings, while his contrapuntal acumen leaves no detail unconsidered nor unduly fussed over.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2008

“Perahia's articulation cuts through the most intricate paragraphs and yet there's a searching spirituality, too…” BBC Music Magazine, June 2008 *****

“truly outstanding … Perahia plays with perfect poise, clarity and intelligence, always mindful of the partitas’ perfect structure … it’s a joy from start to finish” The Observer

“Bach keyboard playing doesn't come any finer than this. A set of true distinction, most truthfully recorded.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“Fray's debut is marked by an imaginative collation, Bach and Boulez, played with vibrant imagination. He pushes the boundaries but resists the merely quirky. Impeccable technique allows him to speak from the heart with deceptive ease.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2008

“…Fray's gorgeous tone and ravishingly shaded trills cast an intimate, poetic spell that's hard to resist, especially within the French Suite's more modest dimensions. Fray matches Pierre-Laurent Aimard for character and precision in Boulez's Notations, yet goes his own way.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2007