Bach: The French Suites

The French Suites—not Bach’s title—aren’t very French, but they were fashionably up to date when they were composed in the early to mid 1720s. Mahan Esfahani plays to the strengths of their then-trendy lightness and grace, finding endless variety in the short dances which together make up the six suites. His performance is all about intimacy. Indeed, the greatest innovation here is the use of a clavichord, the smallest, sweetest, most sensitive member of the keyboard family. This is how Esfahani likes to play the music at home and, closely recorded to capture the instrument’s whispering tone, we feel we’re there with him. For contrast he plays three suites on a harpsichord, the “Allemande” from French Suite No. 4 benefitting wonderfully from the extra resonance. The album includes some of Bach’s lesser-known but equally appealing suites.