Tianqi Du, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Jonathan Bloxham - Bach: Keyboard Concertos (2024) [Hi-Res]

After his first recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, Chinese pianist Tianqi Du returns to the composer closest to his heart and has recorded four of his concertos with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of Jonathan Bloxham. The four works selected by Tianqi Du are among the most famous and remarkable of Bach's piano concertos. Fascinated by Bach's genius, the pianist recalls the overwhelming impression these works made on him when he first heard them as a teenager in his formative years. Now, as a mature artist, he captures their essence, both in the powerful, constant movement and in the more passionate and delicate expression.

These works range from refined and elegant to downright exuberant and are the hallmark of the Italian style Johann Sebastian Bach learned at a young age: as Tianqi Du notes, these works show the more accessible, more human and less intimidating side of Bach's genius.