Bach: Inventions & Sinfonias

Featuring

Yuan Sheng
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Performer Biography

Yuan Sheng, the pianist on this recording, is recognized internationally for his performances and has been described by The New York Times as having an "unfailing ear for balance" and by International Piano Magazine as "The nation's premier interpreter of Bach."

Composition History

Bach composed the Inventions and Sinfonias, originally titled Praeambula and Fantasiae, for his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, as part of a music notebook (Clavierbüchlein) to teach him music fundamentals and keyboard pieces.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bach's primary pedagogical goal with the Inventions and Sinfonias was not just to create skilled keyboard players, but to cultivate performers who were also composers.

Critical Reception

Due to their fundamental role in Bach's teaching, the Inventions and Sinfonias were widely distributed and copied by his students during his lifetime.

Composer Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was not only a renowned composer but also a highly regarded teacher, attracting students from distant places.

Interpretation

Pianist Yuan Sheng regularly performs on period instruments like the harpsichord, clavichord, and early pianos, and his Bach playing has been praised for its clarity, balance, and proportion.

Compositional Technique

The Inventions and Sinfonias were designed to teach students how to invent good musical ideas (inventiones) and develop them well, while also achieving a cantabile (singing) manner of playing.