Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052
Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053
Keyboard Concerto No. 3 in D major, BWV 1054
Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056
Beatrice Rana (piano)
Amsterdam Sinfonietta
rec. 2022, Muziekcentrum van de Omroep, Hilversum, The Netherlands
Reviewed as lossless download
Warner Classics 2173243358 [62]

For those of us who fell in love with Beatrice Rana’s recording of the Goldberg Variations back in 2017 (review), this is a very exciting release. In the meantime, she has released recordings of Ravel, Stravinsky, Beethoven and Chopin, which have been equally well received, but not in my general area of listening. There is also her recording from 2023 of the piano concertos of both Robert and Clara Schumann of which I had been unaware; I have since rectified that, with mixed feelings (review).

Now expectations can be a dangerous thing, as I remember too well from my reaction to Víkingur Ólafsson’s Goldbergs, which I had waited for with great anticipation, only to be initially disappointed (review). But here, there are no such reservations – I could simply write that these performances are now my benchmarks for the four works, but the editorial staff at MWI would frown upon such brevity.

As with her Goldbergs, Rana’s poetry and grace infuses and illuminates the music, but even more than that, it is the joy that shines out of every note from both soloist and orchestra that is the highlight of the recording. While each work receives a wonderful performance, two in particular stand out.

The crispness of the trills in the opening bars of the E major Concerto have such an infectious snap to them that it seems impossible not to smile when listening, while the Siciliano is ethereally beautiful. The dance rhythms of the closing Allegro have never seemed so evident, and at the risk of overusing the word, joyous. As stunning as BWV1053 is, the F minor which closes the recording outshines it (just) – nine minutes of perfection. In the booklet notes, Beatrice Rana explains that her first public performance with an orchestra, at the age of nine, was this work. Her love and understanding of it is very evident. The opening movement is darker and more mysterious than I am used to, and Rana’s tweaking of some of the dynamics and tempos make for an intriguing listen. Words almost fail me with the Largo. The interplay between the plucked strings and Rana’s gentle, but not Romanticised, playing has a jazz sensibility to it which is totally beguiling. The transition into the fizzing and dazzling Presto is thrilling.

There certainly was space for another work (the only hint of criticism you will read here), so I can only hope this means that a second volume is planned. Murray Perahia’s Sony recordings were my standards for these works, and of course remain wonderful readings, but Beatrice Rana’s ability to add colourations through tempo and dynamics, without distorting Bach’s intentions, puts hers at the pinnacle. The Amsterdam Sinfonietta is a very versatile ensemble, at home with all styles of music, and their Bach is lean but not wiry, warm but not lush. The sound quality is excellent – so much better than the Schumann recording mentioned above – and the booklet notes, contributed by Beatrice Rana, are excellent, and describe her longstanding connection to Bach.

I listened to this first at the end of January, though it will be March before the review appears as the album isn’t released until then. I don’t imagine that I will hear a better album all year; indeed, I’d go as far as saying that it is one of the best albums I have ever heard.

David Barker

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