Murray Perahia - The Bach Album (2016)

The music of Johann Sebastian Bach holds a special place within Murray Perahia’s large and wide-ranging discography. His recordings of the composer have garnered critical acclaim and prestigious awards over the years, while setting new standards in Bach pianism for intelligent virtuosity and stylistic insights.

As a Bach interpreter, Perahia’s quest to fuse structural and emotional direction brilliantly reveals itself in each selection. “Emotions and intellect should work together,” the pianist told Geoffrey Norris. “You have to live Bach as if it were a narrative. Music of the Classical period, say, is much more dramatic, the events are much more contrasting. Bach is more like a meditation.” Indeed, Bach’s keyboard works rarely have sounded so completely at home on the modern piano as they do in Murray Perahia’s hands.

Tracklist:
01. Keyboard Concerto No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1054: I. Allegro
02. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808 (Highlights): English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: I. Prélude
03. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808 (Highlights): English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: II. Allemande
04. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808 (Highlights): English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: V. Gavotte I
05. Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo
06. Italian Concerto, BWV 971: I. (Allegro)
07. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria
08. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variatio 1 a 1 Clav.
09. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variatio 2 a 1 Clav.
10. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variatio 3 a 1 Clav. Canone all'Unisuono
11. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variatio 4 a 1 Clav.
12. Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1053: II. Siciliano
13. Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, No. 5, BWV 639
14. Keyboard Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: III. Allegro ma non tanto
15. Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825 (Highlights): Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: I. Praeludium
16. Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825 (Highlights): Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: III. Corrente
17. Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825 (Highlights): Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: V. Menuet I & II
18. Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1053: I. [ ]
19. Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826: VI. Capriccio
20. Keyboard Concerto No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1054: III. Allegro
21. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variatio 7 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav. Al tempo di Giga
22. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variatio 30 a 1 Clav. Quodlibet
23. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Highlights): Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria da capo
24. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, No. 2, BWV 645
25. Keyboard Concerto No. 7 in G Minor, BWV 1058: III. Allegro assai