Bach: Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906; 15 Two-Part Inventions, BWV 772-86; 15 Three-Part Sinfonias (Inventions), BWV 787-801; Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903

COMPOSERS: Bach
LABELS: Hyperion
WORKS: Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906; 15 Two-Part Inventions, BWV 772-86; 15 Three-Part Sinfonias (Inventions), BWV 787-801; Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903
PERFORMER: Angela Hewitt (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: CDA 66746 DDD

Despite their humble origins as instruction pieces for his nine-year-old son, Bach’s Inventions have attracted many great keyboard players since the early 19th century, when Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin all studied and played them. Needless to say, there is no shortage of recordings today, with names like Glenn Gould, Wanda Landowska and András Schiff gracing the catalogue. Far from being overshadowed by such illustrious predecessors, Angela Hewitt’s performances have much to recommend them, particularly her sensitive and softly shaded accounts of the more introspective numbers (notably the three-part D minor), and the eloquent embellishments of the E flat piece from the same set. Elsewhere, I found her occasionally rather heavy-handed and rigid –the E flat, F and A minor two-part works, for instance; and it’s a pity that the odd bar here and there sounds rushed – probably a misjudged ‘patch’ during editing, rather than her own rhythmic insecurity. But none of these quibbles applies to her highly dramatic reading of the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, the opening of which she imbues with a real sense of virtuoso improvisation. Kate Bolton