The French Suites

Keith Jarrett - J.S. Bach, The French Suites (1993) {2CD Set, ECM New Series 1513/14}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 671 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 243 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1993 ECM Records | ECM New Series ECM 1513/14
Classical / Baroque / Harpsichord

Jarrett plays brilliantly. Personally, I love Jarrett's playing; he is one of the most sensitive and lyrical of contemporary pianists, and his long illness has deprived us of what would surely have been a larger body of baroque music recordings. So make your own mind up. I highly recommend this collection to lovers of Bach, Jarrett and the diabolical harpsichord.

One of the piano's most lyrical contemporary proponents, Murray Perahia was born in New York City. After first sitting down at the piano at the age of four, he entered Mannes College at 17, later graduating with degrees in conducting and composition. At the same time, Perahia spent his summers in Marlboro, Vermont, collaborating with musicians including Rudolf Serkin, Pablo Casals and the members of the Budapest Quartet; he also studied with Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Upon winning the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1972, Perahia gave his first concert at the Aldeburgh Festival a year later, where he met and worked with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, subsequently accompanying the latter in many lieder recitals. Perahia became co-artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival in 1981, a position he held for eight years; his recordings include the complete concertos of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.

Accordion wizard Mika Väyrynen’s new release includes J.S. Bach/ French Suites 1–3, Praeludium XXIV in B minor and Passacaglia in C minor. On this Bach CD it’s all about high-quality playing by one of the world’s best-known and most highly-acclaimed Finnish accordionists! Remember also Väyrynen’s previous Bach release The Goldberg Variations (ABCD 191) which was a great success.

If the accordion had already existed in his time, Bach might have dedicated many pieces to this fantastically versatile instrument. In any case, his music seems to be particularly suitable for the concert accordion, as this disc once again proves deafening.