J.S. Bach Piano Works

Featuring

David Fray
Johann Sebastian Bach

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1/6

Recording & Production

This album was recorded at Notre-Dame du Liban in Paris from September 24-26, 2012, with Alain Lanceron as executive producer.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The Partitas, which form the first part of the Clavier-Übung, were intended by Bach to be models of their kind and were declared to be 'composed to refresh the spirits of music-lovers'.

Composition History

Bach published his Opus 1, the first installment of his Clavier-Übung ('keyboard exercise') series, at the age of forty-six, while serving as Kantor at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.

Interpretation

David Fray, the pianist on this recording, believes that the first two bars of the Partita No. 6's Toccata contain a kind of implied leitmotif, encapsulating the work's melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic essence.

Composer Biography

Bach's seven Toccatas for harpsichord are youthful works from his Weimar period, where he primarily composed secular and instrumental pieces.

Compositional Technique

Bach's Toccatas feature a multi-sectional single movement, alternating free, brilliant passages with stricter fugal sections, reflecting 17th-century traditions.