Daniil Trifonov (piano)

With works by: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784), Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)

• Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080; Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach (Auszüge); Jesus bleibet meine Freude BWV 147 (arrangiert von Myra Hess); Chaconne aus BWV 1004
  +JC Bach: Klaviersonate A-Dur op. 17 Nr. 5
  +CPE Bach: Rondo c-moll Wq. 59 Nr. 4 aus "Für Kenner und Liebhaber"
  +WF Bach: Polonaise e-moll F. 12 Nr. 8

The centerpiece of this double album is Johann Sebastian Bach's late masterpiece, The Art of Fugue. It reflects Trifonov's insight into the family life and musical practice of one of the greatest composers of all time. Works by four of Bach's sons and two Bach family favourites also feature on this recording, which includes pieces with a light-hearted dance-like quality as well as the majesty and gravity of the Chaconne in D minor.

The album begins serenely with a family portrait in the form of four charming works by Bach's sons. Trifonov's evocative interpretation of Bach's Art of Fugue is grounded in the notion of the work as a cycle, a living, organic whole. This is in keeping with the inspiration he draws from nature, whether on hikes or in qigong, a form of meditation and movement that also draws on the healing energy of trees. "The tree is a good image for the overall concept of the Art of Fugue," Trifonov says. "The theme is the trunk, the fugues are the branches, the permutations within each fugue are the leaves." For the final Contrapunctus, which Bach did not complete, Trifonov has written a seamless, stylistically appropriate ending.

"This album is about love in many ways: romantic love, familial love, and love of the Creator."