Each of Bach's French Suites has a core of four movements: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue, with additional dance movements like gavottes and minuets.
Interpretation
Murray Perahia, the pianist, uses the piano's sustaining pedal judiciously in Bach, arguing that the harpsichord's natural resonance and the organ's sound suggest Baroque music was not meant to be 'dry'.
Composition History
Five of Bach's French Suites were included in the Anna Magdalena Notebook of 1722, suggesting they could have been used as teaching material.
Performer Biography
Murray Perahia, the pianist on this recording, was deeply impressed by Pablo Casals's human interpretation of Bach's St. Matthew Passion at Carnegie Hall when Perahia was about fifteen.
Interpretation
Murray Perahia, the pianist, initially found it challenging to play Bach on the piano, as the harpsichord was considered the only valid instrument for it in the early 1960s.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Murray Perahia believes Bach's music is the beginning of cohesive Western music, where every note is related, and it is full of joy, buoyancy, and spirituality that influenced all subsequent music.
Compositional Technique
The French Suites are generally more delicate than Bach's English Suites and Partitas, often featuring a two- or three-voice texture.
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