Though published as Bach’s Opus 1, the Partitas were composed as Bach was approaching 40 and working in Leipzig. Their varied and changeable movement styles differentiate them considerably from the structure of works such as the French and English Suites, which are otherwise like sets of dance movements. Judith Lambden is a well established Australian pianist with a long-established reputation as an interpreter of Bach. In this, her first CD for Divine Art, she gives us all a chance to re-evaluate splendid works which (in terms of Bach’s output) are relatively little known.
“These performances are thoughtfully appealing, reliably-judged and largely free of worrying idiosyncrasies. I can enjoy Lambdens’ balanced J S Bach interpretations in a mood of relaxed, unperturbed concentration. Worthy of a place among Australia’s celebrated concert pianists.” Howard Smith - Music and Vision.com
“Anyone that wants to get deeper into these relatively underplayed Bach pieces is going to have a fine time rounding out their knowledge of the canon. Tasty, energetic and engaging.. on the money with a performance that is much more than a bunch of notes played pretty and in the right order... this is one for your collection.”
Chris Spector