Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906
Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
French Suite No. 6 in E major, BWV 817
English Suite No. 6 in D minor, BWV 811

Most of German concert pianist Elisaveta Blumina's recording output has been focused on the music of 20th and 21st century predominantly Russian composers like Ustvolskaya, Shostakovich and Prokofiev. And she is now in the process of recording all of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's complete piano music, so one could assume that her interpretation of the brightly colored keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach may be slightly tainted by Soviet shadows. Quite the contrary ... the incisive energy she brings to the Fantasia in C minor is certainly an ear opener. Most noticeable is the flawless interaction between the right and left hand. Rather than one leading the other, the perfect balance between the two sounds like a couple dancing together in seamless unison. There's almost a twirling effect to her phrasing making it impossible to determine when one hand ends and the other one begins.

Whenever there's intricate counterpoint taking place, as in for example the Bourrée within the French Suite in E major, it is not heavily spotlit or demarcated à la Glenn Gould, but allowed to speak and unfurl naturally. Even the highly fugal aspects of the Gigue which closes the English Suite in D minor are brought forward in a clear and articulate fashion without sounding affected. She also brings out the darker harmonic colors present in the Prelude from the same suite very well. The instrument used for this recording is a 1901 Steinway D perfectly suited for this as it delivers unmatched clarity and balance of lines and voices. It's not exactly clear what the Bach 21 title of the CD represents. Is it simply the fact that there is a total of 21 movements (pieces) on the disc, or does it coincide with the year 2021 or maybe even the 21st century? The booklet notes don't elucidate on this but what is immediately made obvious upon audition is that the music of Bach is the nucleus at the centre of all music. The booklet notes point out that Albert Einstein once declared: "Are you looking for a world formula, for the architecture of the universe? Just look at a score by Bach!"