Since the holidays are coming, tonight Bravo, Baroque! looks at some of the new recordings of Baroque music available for giving as gifts.  I’m your host, Lane Whitesell, and in this episode we look at the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. 

            Pianist Simone dinnerstein’s third CD is called  Something Almost Being Said, Music of Bach and Schubert, just a year after her second recording, which was Bach, A Strange Beauty, which followed her recording of the Goldberg Variations.  From the new album, let’s listen to the prelude, Minuets, and Gigue from the Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825.
            SONY 98943 Tracks 11, 15-16.  8:38
From last year’s album, which arrived too late for last Christms, let’s listen to the final movement of the first keyboard concerto, the d-minor BWV 1052, which she performs with the chamber orchestra of Staatskapelle Berlin.
            SONY 81742 Track 14.  7:13
You’ve heard parts of the two newest CDs from SONY featuring Simone Dinnerstein playing Bach.

            One of the year’s most interesting recordings is Bach:  An Imaginary Dance, featuring cellist Charles Curtis playing three of the  Bach cello suites along with organist Anthy Burr and Tabla player Naren Budhakar.  Let’s listen to the final four dances from the Firsst suite, the G-major BWV 1007. 
            eone 2127 Tracks 15-18.  10:42
These performances on the e-one label were made this year, trying to bring the dance forms used by Bach into music that could be danced to.

            A new album by concert pianist and teacher Findlay Cockrell features many of the short pieces by Bach which are used as teaching pieces for young students, the preludes from the Well-tempered clavier, the Two-Part inventions, and the four duets.  Let’s listen to the first prelude in C major, the G major and C major two-part inventions, and the a minor duet.
            Findlay Recordings FC02 tracks 1, 29-30, and 37.  6:53.
This recording is available online from FC@findlaycockrell.com..

            Violinist Jennifer Koh’s new recording is entitled Bach and Beyond Part 1.  It includes two of the bach partitas, Ysaye’s second sonata, and two pieces written in the past 10 years, all for solo violin without accompaniment.  I will use the chaconne from BWV 1004 sometime later, so today let’s listen to the Loure, Bourre, and Gigue from the third partita, BWV 1006. 
            Cedille 134 Tracks 2, 5, 6.  8:51
On the Cedille label out of Chicago, Jennifer Koh’s new recording is called Bach and beyond Part I.

            I have received two new recordings of the Bach Goldberg Variations in the past few months.  Let’s hear Bulgarian pianist Hristo Kazakov play the opening aria and the first three variations from his recording on the Centaur label. 
            Hristo Kazakov 10897 Tracks 1-4.  6:29
This recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations is played by pianist Hristo Kazakov and is another recording available online at www.hristokazakov.com.

            Now let’s listen to Australian pianist Colin Noble play the last three variations and the aria da capo from his new recording of the Goldberg Variations.  This recording is on the Centuar label. 
            Centaur 3135 Tracks 28-31.  6:29

            For more information on getting copies of these CDs for Christmas gifts, please go onine to kcscfm.com on the Bravo, Baroque! tab.

Next week Bravo, Baroque looks at more new recordings available for Christmas giving.