Johann Sebastian Bach The Complete Works For Keyboard, Vol. 6

After five volumes devoted to the early years of J. S. Bach, up to the Weimar period, Benjamin Alard takes an utterly fascinating approach to the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier.

With it's forty-five chorale preludes, the Orgelbüchlein bears witness to a mastery of the art of improvisation on the organ, as the congregation heard it at the time before singing the hymn in it's turn. It was a tempting experiment to revive this primary function: by collaborating with the combined forces of the Ensemble Vocal Bergamasque and the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris, Benjamin Alard gives the 'little organ book' it's full significance and expressive power.

‘The happy years’: an expression that is particularly apt for J. S. Bach’s period in Cöthen. Freed from the obligations that held him back in Weimar and not yet caught up in the Leipzig treadmill, Prince Leopold’s protégé produced masterpieces of such flamboyance that Benjamin Alard could not resist the pleasure of inviting some of his dear musician friends to join him around the splendid three-manual harpsichord by Hass.

Volume 4 of Benjamin Alard's complete recording of Bach's keyboard works continues to explore the Weimar period. After À la française, we turn to Italy, where the Vivaldian concerto reigned in Venice.

Eagerly pursuing his exploration of Bach’s corpus for solo keyboard, Benjamin Alard focuses here on works associated with the composer’s first wife, Maria Barbara, and her untimely death in 1720.