Bach: 5 Keyboard Concertos; Ramin Bahrami, pianist

"[Riccardo] Chailly’s approach to this repertory is typically vigorous, with reduced scale but no effort to tamp down the sound. ... But he does side with early-musickers in favoring mobility over monumentality, with brisk tempos and clear textures. The concertos here are the first five in the conventional numbering: those in D minor, E, D , A and F minor (BWV 1052-56). The ... pianist, the Iranian-born Ramin Bahrami ... says that he devotes his 'whole life as a performer' to Bach. Elsewhere Mr. Bahrami has said that Bach’s music saved him from suicide after his father had been killed by 'Islamic fascists.' On the evidence here, Mr. Bahrami is returning the favor in fine style. His playing is everywhere strong and fluent. He embellishes lines freely ... and with seeming spontaneity. The [Leipzig Gewandhaus] orchestra ... seems to be thriving under Mr. Chailly. It plays with freshness, commitment and vitality. ... [T]his disc is eminently recommendable" (James R. Oestreich, "Classical Recordings," New York Times, 10/2/11).
View catalog record here!