Bach's keyboard partitas are considered his most technically demanding among his various sets of dance-suites, which also include the English and French Suites.
Composer Biography
Johann Kuhnau, Bach's predecessor as cantor of St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig, published collections of partitas under the title Clavier-Übung, which influenced German keyboard music.
Compositional Technique
The term 'partita' evolved from indicating a sequence of variations in the sixteenth century to signifying a suite of dances by the time of Bach's keyboard partitas.
Performer Biography
Nils Anders Mortensen has received several accolades, including the Concerts Norway 'Debutant of the Year' award in 1996 and the Mozarteum Prize in Salzburg in 1998.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach's keyboard partitas show a more adventurous handling of dance-forms, favoring galant melody-with-harmony over imitative counterpoint, and new textures compared to his French Suites.
Composition History
Bach's six keyboard partitas, BWV 825-830, were initially published individually starting in 1726, then collectively in 1731 as Clavier-Übung 1.
Performer Biography
Nils Anders Mortensen, the pianist on this recording, began playing piano at age three and won the Norwegian Young Pianist Competition in 1986.
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