The French Suites were composed by Bach in Köthen, a small court where he stayed until 1723, and were never published during his lifetime.
Compositional Technique
Each of Bach's French Suites is comprised of alternating dances, starting with an allemande and ending with a gigue, with all dances within a suite in the same key.
Album & Artwork
The album cover features a painting by Miró, chosen by Zhu Xiao-Mei for its bright, simple, colorful, humorous, and alive qualities, reflecting the childlike purity she finds in the French Suites.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach's dance-form works, like the French Suites, served a pedagogical aim: to teach a sense of rhythm to musical pupils.
Performer Biography
Zhu Xiao-Mei's studies were disrupted by the Cultural Revolution, leading to five years in a Maoist labor camp, before she resumed her musical education.
Performer Biography
The performer, Zhu Xiao-Mei, was introduced to music by her mother and began performing on radio and television by age eight, later enrolling at the Beijing Conservatory.
Composition History
The genesis of the French Suites is not precisely known, and they exist in different versions, with the name 'French' not given by Bach himself.
