J S BACH

Piano Concertos BWV1052, 1054, 1056, 1058, 1065

1. Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 - I. Allegro

2. Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 - II. Adagio

3. Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 - III. Allegro

4. Keyboard Concerto in D Major BWV 1054 - I. Allegro

5. Keyboard Concerto in D Major BWV 1054 - II. Adagio e sempre piano

6. Keyboard Concerto in D Major BWV 1054 - III. Allegro

7. Keyboard Concerto in D Major BWV 1054 - Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 974: II Adagio

8. Keyboard Concerto in F Minor BWV 1056 - I. Allegro

9. Keyboard Concerto in F Minor BWV 1056 - II. Largo

10. Keyboard Concerto in F Minor BWV 1056 - III. Presto

11. Keyboard Concerto in G Minor BWV 1058 - I Allegro

12. Keyboard Concerto in G Minor BWV 1058 - II Andante

13. Keyboard Concerto in G Minor BWV 1058 - III Allegro assai

14. Keyboard Concerto in A Minor BWV 1065 - I. Allegro

15. Keyboard Concerto in A Minor BWV 1065 - II. Largo

16. Keyboard Concerto in A Minor BWV 1065 - III. Allegro

Alexandre Tharaud

Les Violins du Roy / Bernard Labadie

Alexandre Tharaud follows his dazzling album of Scarlatti sonatas with another fusion of modern and historically informed performance styles. Joining him in this new collection of Bach keyboard concertos is the dynamic period-instrument ensemble Les Violons du Roy, under its director Bernard Labadie.

Alexandre Tharaud leads the current generation of pianists who are both reclaiming Baroque keyboard music from harpischordists and integrating historically informed principles into their playing. Exemplifying this fruitful hybrid of modern piano and authentic style is Tharaud’s collaboration in five Bach concertos with one of North America’s most dynamic period-instrument ensembles, the Quebec-based Les Violons du Roy under its director Bernard Labadie.

The programme comprises four concertos for solo keyboard (1052, 1054, 1056, 1058) and also the concerto for four pianos, BWV 1065, in which – thanks to studio technology – Tharaud plays all four solo parts.

A bonus item is an arrangement of an arrangement: Tharaud and Labadie have adapted Bach’s transcription for keyboard of an Adagio written by the Venetian Alessandro Marcello (1669-1747). Tharaud describes it as “a combination of Bach’s solo version and of Marcello’s version for oboe and orchestra – with me playing the oboe line”.

Bach was born in the same year as Domenico Scarlatti, the subject of Alexandre Tharaud’s last Virgin Classics album. As the French magazine Classica wrote of the Scarlatti collection: “Tharaud breaks with received ideas of Baroque repertoire and its interpretation … Wonderfully inspired in variety of touch, tonal precision, ornamentation and resonance. His concerns are not musicological … Above all he aspires to natural phrasing and a balance in the rhythms … His imperious virtuosity is never teasing or mannered … What matters to him is the evocation of colours, simplicity and sensuality. This is a disc to put you on cloud nine.”

In a similar vein, Diapason found that: “There is no question of imitating players whose instruments have plucked strings. Tharaud plays the piano in all its glory, with unbridled imagination. He inhabits the space unoccupied by harpsichordists and expanded by the resources of his own instrument,” while Classique Today judged the album “The most physical, sensual, epicurean Scarlatti you could imagine. His tonal perfection and extraordinary artistic freedom have given us one of the recordings of the year.” The Sunday Times stated that: “Tharaud relishes the rhythmic and melodic riches here. The playing and musicianship of this young Frenchman are dazzling throughout.”

Virgin Classics 0709132