J.S. Bach: Inventions and Sinfonias

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.