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JS Bach's English Suites in Building a Library with Lucy Parham & Andrew McGregor

Lucy Parham selects her favourite piano version of JS Bach's Six English Suites (BWV 806-811) and Emily MacGregor shares her choice of the latest classical releases.

Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.

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Emily MacGregor shares her choice of the latest classical releases.

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Building a Library

Lucy Parham selects her favourite piano version of JS Bach's Six English Suites (BWV 806-811).

Confusingly, Bach's English Suites are collections of dances in the fashionable French style of the early 18th century, each prefaced by a Prelude. On one level, the Suites are a didactic compendium of keyboard style and technique, including written-out examples (in the Second and Third Suites) of the kind of ornamentation Bach would have expected from players, his students and his own children. But these highly stylized and sophisticated dances are also full of typically Bachian small- and large-scale patterning and meaning, from the musical cypher on Bach's name, to the overarching descending organisation of keys of each successive Suite.

Lucy's choice:
Andr谩s Schiff (piano)
Decca 4216402

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Record of the Week: Andrew鈥檚 top pick.

10 days left to listen

1 hour, 59 minutes

Music Played

  • Johannes Brahms

    Hungarian Dance no.6 in D flat major

    Music Arranger: Georges Cziffra. Performer: Alessio Bax.
    • Signum Classics.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Symphony no.29 in A major K.20 (4th mvt)

    Orchestra: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin. Conductor: Bernhard Forck.
    • Pentatone.
  • Cl谩udio Santoro

    Symphony No. 4 "Sinfonia da Paz": II. Lento

    Orchestra: Orquestra Filarm么nica de Goi谩s. Conductor: Neil Thomson.
    • Santoro: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 & Other Orchestral Works.
    • Naxos.
    • 103.
  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Piano Sonata no.3 in B minor Op.58 (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Alice Sara Ott.
    • Mecury.
  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Piano Sonata no.3 in B minor Op.58 (4th mvt)

    Performer: Yulianna Avdeeva.
    • Pentatone.
  • Anne Bocquet

    Prelude in D major

    Performer: Sophie de Bardonn猫che.
    • Alpha.
  • Mlle Duval

    Les G茅nies ou les Caract猫res de l'Amour (Rondeau)

    Performer: Sophie de Bardonn猫che. Performer: Lucile Boulanger. Performer: Justin Taylor.
    • Alpha.
  • Mlle Duval

    Les G茅nies ou les Caract猫res de l'Amour (Passacaille)

    Performer: Sophie de Bardonn猫che. Performer: Lucile Boulanger. Performer: Justin Taylor.
    • Alpha.
  • Claude Debussy

    Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum (Children's Corner)

    Performer: Richard Galliano. Music Arranger: Richard Galliano.
    • Pentatone.
  • George Gershwin

    But Not For Me (Girl Crazy)

    Music Arranger: Richard Galliano. Performer: Richard Galliano.
    • Pentatone.
  • Francesca Caccini

    Amarilli mia bella ornamented by Johann Nauwach

    Singer: Wei-Lian Huang. Ensemble: Scherzi Musicali. Director: Nicolas Achten.
    • Ricercar.
  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    Mein Sehnen, mein W盲hnen (Die tote Stadt Op.12)

    Singer: Huw Montague Rendall. Orchestra: Orchestre de l鈥橭p茅ra de Rouen Normandie. Conductor: Ben Glassberg.
    • Erato.
  • Juan Formell

    Sandunguera

    Composer: Los Van Van. Performer: Sarah Willis. Ensemble: The Sarahbanda. Music Arranger: Edgar Olivero.
    • Alpha.
  • Edward Elgar

    Violin Concerto in B Minor Op.61 (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Vilde Frang. Orchestra: German Symphony Orchestra Berlin. Conductor: Robin Ticciati.
    • Elgar: Violin Concerto, Op. 61.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 3.

Broadcast

  • Sat 28 Sep 2024 14:00

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