Zhu Xiao-Mei - Bach: Inventions & Sinfonias '2015

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Invention No. 1 in C Major, BWV 772
02. Invention No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 773
03. Invention No. 3 in D Major, BWV 774
04. Invention No. 4 in D Minor, BWV 775
05. Invention No. 5 in E-Flat Major, BWV 776
06. Invention No. 6 in E Major, BWV 777
07. Invention No. 7 in E Minor, BWV 778
08. Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779
09. Invention No. 9 in F Minor, BWV 780
10. Invention No. 10 in G Major, BWV 781
11. Invention No. 11 in G Minor, BWV 782
12. Invention No. 12 in A Major, BWV 783
13. Invention No. 13 in A Minor, BWV 784
14. Invention No. 14 in B-Flat Major, BWV 785
15. Invention No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 786
16. Sinfonia No. 1 in C Major, BWV 787
17. Sinfonia No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 788
18. Sinfonia No. 3 in D Major, BWV 789
19. Sinfonia No. 4 in D Minor, BWV 790
20. Sinfonia No. 5 in E-Flat Major, BWV 791
21. Sinfonia No. 6 in E Major, BWV 792
22. Sinfonia No. 7 in E Minor, BWV 793
23. Sinfonia No. 8 in F Major, BWV 794
24. Sinfonia No. 9 in F Minor, BWV 795
25. Sinfonia No. 10 in G Major, BWV 796
26. Sinfonia No. 11 in G Minor, BWV 797
27. Sinfonia No. 12 in A Major, BWV 798
28. Sinfonia No. 13 in A Minor, BWV 799
29. Sinfonia No. 14 in B-Flat Major, BWV 800
30. Sinfonia No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 801



The Inventions and Sinfonias of Johann Sebastian Bach are essential training
pieces for young pianists, so they are quite well-known, though somewhat less
venerated than the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, and the Art
of the Fugue, which are regarded as much more challenging and lofty. Yet Zhu
Xiao-Mei's recording on Accentus Music demonstrates that these are not mere
exercises or easy pieces for beginners, but artistically challenging works in
their own right, in which every choice is evident in the exposed two-part and
three-part counterpoint. This album was recorded in the Mendelssohn Room at the
Gewandhaus in Leipzig, which has lively acoustics that complement Zhu's playing
without drowning her sound or taking the edge off her crisp articulation.
Listeners who prefer to hear these pieces played on harpsichord may not care for
any performances on piano, but Zhu is so meticulous and precise in her
execution, even a Bach purist can appreciate her skills and ability to make
these pieces intellectually and emotionally satisfying. 

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