Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817

Despite becoming much better known as a conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy hasn’t lost his touch at the keyboard. His approach to Bach has the mark of experience, and a rightness to it that comes from long exposure to a composer whose balance of heart and head is ideal. Ashkenazy brings color, imagination, and a real feeling for the different dance movements that make up these six suites. On a lovely set, each sarabande unfolds with a stately gait.