Murray Perahia - Bach: English Suites Nos. 1, 3 & 6 [Expanded Edition] (1998/2004)

These six suites are English in name only, conforming largely to the accepted form and order of a suite of dances, providing Bach with a template for his unrivalled contrapuntal skill in which he was utterly at home. The result is a set of pieces with wonderful rhythmic variation and delightful fluency of lines, and these are among Bach's finest keyboard works, in my view. They are inventive, endlessly rewarding and, above all, hugely enjoyable to listen to.

Murray Parahia understands all of this to his core, and has the superb technique to allow it to flow out of him utterly naturally. He often has a delightful lightness of touch which never trivialises but allows the music to dance and glow as it should, and he preserves the music's intellectual weight even in the most toe-tapping movements. Perahia's judgement of rubato and ornamentation is impeccable, with just enough to allow make the music's sense clear without overlaying it with unnecessary interpretive tricks. It is exemplary Bach playing, I think.