Bach: English Suites Nos. 2, 4 & 5

The present release completes Murray Perahia's survey of Bach's six English Suites. Pianistically speaking, there's much to admire: the unruffled sonority, pinpointed technique, and an ability to spin luminous textures through fingerwork and hand balances alone, eschewing the sustain pedal. Perahia's fluent left hand may not match the rhythmic resilience of Glenn Gould's, nor do his ornaments sing out with the improvisatory confidence András Schiff brings to his equally colorful, but more measured, readings. By the same token, Perahia's perfectly judged tempos honor the music's dance origins. Yet there's a studied, self-conscious quality to the pianist's choices regarding color and articulation, brought on by his frequent telegraphing of a textural shift via slight ritards or little holdbacks at cadential points. After a while, one can predict these before they occur. Still, only a genuine master can play this well. One hopes Perahia's preoccupation with Bach is not a temporary fancy. --Jed Distler