The quasiimprovised flourish that opens this 'English' Suite no. 1 in A major, performed by Aline Zylberajch for All of Bach, sounds like an enthusiastic welcome and invitation. Bach starts off with a relatively short prelude that does not develop into a largescale concerto, as in the other suites. It is followed by a boundless succession of short sections (ten in total, which is more than the other suites). One courante? No, two ! One double? No, two again! One bourrée then? Another two! This was a deliberate decision.
An earlier version of the suite tells us that one of the two doubles (variations) of the second courante and the second bourrée were only added by Bach later on. It is no coincidence that this second bourrée is the only section in a minor key. Towards the end of the suite, Bach thus adds a dash of darker contrast to what is otherwise a radiant whole.

Recorded for the project All of Bach on July 5th 2019 at the Bartolotti House, Amsterdam. If you want to help us complete All of Bach, please subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/2vhCeFB and consider donating http://bit.ly/2uZuMj5.

For more information on BWV 806 and this production go to http://allofbach.com/en/bwv/bwv806/

All of Bach is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society / Nederlandse Bachvereniging, offering highquality film recordings of the works by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society and its guest musicians. Visit our free online treasury for more videos and background material https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en/allo.... For concert dates and further information go to https://www.bachvereniging.nl/nederla....

Aline Zylberajch, harpsichordist
Harpsichord: Bruce Kennedy, 1989 after Michael Mietke

0:00 Prelude
2:06 Allemande
7:39 Courante 1
9:31 Courante 2
11:44 Double 1
14:00 Double 2
16:18 Sarabande
20:28 Bourrée 1
22:34 Bourrée 2
25:16 Gigue