The Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, particularly lauded for his Chopin interpretations, now turns to Bach, a composer with whom he has enjoyed a long association, having studied organ as well as piano in his younger days. It’s a strikingly personal programme and he launches it with an account of the Italian Concerto that exudes confidence from the off, revelling in contrasts of dynamics and Bach’s punchy counterpoint. Tharaud is rather more elegant here, though Blechacz is beautifully refined in the central Andante, while his finale has an infectious one-in-a-bar verve.
The Fantasia and Fugue in A minor is .....
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