Bach: Keyboard Concertos - Anastasia Injushina & Hamburger Camerata

11 March 2013, 11:59 | Updated: 14 March 2013, 15:55

A brilliant new album of bright Baroque concertos from three members of the Bach family. Album of the Week, 11 March 2013.

It's well known that the Bach family were unusually talented, but it's a treat to hear a selection of musical offerings from three of them on this cheery album. The famous Allegro from J. S. Bach's Keyboard Concerto in E major is blessed with a lightness of touch; pianist and orchestra work together to bring out Bach's unexpected rhythms and accents, giving the music a brilliant spring in its step.

But it's not just J. S. Bach's music that shines. There's a subtle variety of styles present on the album, ranging from J. S. Bach's precise Baroque keyboard music that interlocks together like a musical jigsaw, to the clean lines and regular phrases of Johann Christian Bach's concerto in E flat, bringing us firmly into the Classical period with a twinkle in its eye.

Whether it's a dainty Rondeau, or a stately Andante movement, the different moods in the music are brought to life by a different section of the piano. High notes, mellow middle notes, and the heavy low notes combine together in a chirpy musical conversation - listen out for the way the tune jumps out when played at different pitches.

Mathematical and measured, these brilliant keyboard concertos are a wonderful way to discover the musical talents of the lesser-known members of the Bach family, and enjoy a catchy tune or two along the way.