Bach: The Six Partitas

Astonishingly, the Six Partitas for Clavier were the first works Bach published—after more than twenty years of composing. 'Opus 1' (as he called it) was 'offered to music lovers in order to refresh their spirits' and the works scored an immediate hit, becoming core repertoire for keyboard players both professional and amateur.

'Partita' is simply another name for a suite of dance movements, and each of these collections combines grace, agility and sprightliness with a nobleness of spirit which makes them not only accessible and attractive, but also worthy in every way of their position in the Clavierübung—Bach's own summation of his compositional skills.

All of the music on this album is also available as part of the specially priced box set Angela Hewitt plays Bach: 'A magnificent retrospective of Angela Hewitt’s achievement as a pianist in the keyboard works of J S Bach … this remarkable set of recordings marks something of a milestone for everyone involved with classical music, as well as for Hyperion' (MusicWeb International).

CDA67191/2  142 minutes 29 seconds (2 discs)
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE
‘Effortlessly eclipsing all competition … the whole disc gives unalloyed pleasure; definitely one of my choices of the year’ (Gramophone)
‘One of the outstanding Bach pianists of our time, her playing of the great Partitas is something very special indeed. She is formidably equipped for this demanding music – technically, musically, int ...
‘Everything has been deeply considered. Everything works. Hewitt makes a beautiful, limpid sound; her ornaments are exquisitely precise as well as sounding natural; she uses the subtle shadings and va ...