Bach: The English Suites, BWV 806-811

Featuring

Angela Hewitt
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Recording & Production

This album was recorded in Henry Wood Hall, London, across two sessions in August 2002 and March-April 2003, using a Steinway & Sons piano.

Performer Biography

Pianist Angela Hewitt is considered a pre-eminent Bach pianist, having won the 1985 Toronto International Bach Piano Competition and embarking on a ten-year project to record all of Bach's major keyboard works.

Compositional Technique

Bach's English Suites follow a standard sequence of dance movements (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue) with pairs of 'galanteries' (Bourrée, Gavotte, Passepied) inserted between the last two.

Composer Biography

In 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach was challenged to a keyboard contest by French virtuoso Jean-Louis Marchand, organist to Louis XIV at Versailles, but Marchand fled before the organ portion of the competition.

Composition History

The title "English Suites" is misleading, as there is nothing inherently English about Bach's compositions; the name likely originated from a remark in one copy stating "fait pour les Anglois" (made for the English).

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bach's unique genius lay in his ability to combine diverse musical styles, such as French dance music and Italian concerto elements, with German polyphonic writing.