Bach: The Works for Harpsichord, Vol. 1 (1999)

These are thoughtful interpretations -- scholarly in the best sense -- of Bach's English Suites, which inexplicably are less often recorded than most of the composer's other major keyboard works. Nobody has been able to determine exactly why they're called English suites; the name was not Bach's own but is of considerable antiquity. In any event, they are suites of the French court dances that enjoyed international popularity in Bach's day, but there are also influences of other music -- Italianate block contrasts, ... Read More

These are thoughtful interpretations -- scholarly in the best sense -- of Bach's English Suites, which inexplicably are less often recorded than most of the composer's other major keyboard works. Nobody has been able to determine exactly why they're called English suites; the name was not Bach's own but is of considerable antiquity. In any event, they are suites of the French court dances that enjoyed international popularity in Bach's day, but there are also influences of other music -- Italianate block contrasts, particularly, as well as traces of the more intellectual thinking of Bach's systematic keyboard works. Their eclecticism is their charm, and harpsichordist Peter Watchorn's booklet notes can be singled out for their clear, detailed treatment, treating each work as an individual and describing it, one likes to think, in terms a Baroque listener would have found relevant and enjoyed. His performances are something like those notes: variegated, skillful, and somewhat deliberate. Watchorn takes... Read Less