Freddy Kempf, the pianist on this album, gained national prominence in 1992 as the youngest winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition at age 15.
Composition History
The six Partitas (BWV 825-830) are Bach's last suites for solo keyboard, originally published separately between 1726 and 1731 before being collected in 1731 as Clavir-Übung (Keyboard Studies).
Performer Biography
Freddy Kempf's third prize at the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow sparked audience protests and Russian press acclaim, leading to his unprecedented popularity there.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach's Partitas, like his other solo keyboard works, were primarily intended to 'refresh the spirits of music lovers' and were meant for private practice rather than public performance.
Compositional Technique
In the Partitas, Bach inserts 'galanteries'—other dances or non-dance pieces like 'Aria' or 'Capriccio'—between the traditional suite movements, giving each of the forty movements a unique character.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach used familiar European dances, even if a little outdated, as a canvas for his musical imagination, similar to how a jazz musician uses a harmonic framework.
Composer Biography
Johann Sebastian Bach frequently used dance rhythms like the allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue in his works, from solo instrumental pieces to sacred vocal music.
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