If you want a representative sample of Igor Kipnis' Bach, start with the introductory toccata to the E minor Partita (No. 6). You get little of the music's introspective undertones, but Kipnis' subtle registration changes, resourceful ornamentation, and rhythmic extroversion proves quite insidious. Some of Kipnis' textual emendations will surprise you, such as his duple-meter reading of the Fifth Partita's Allemanda. Only on the repeats does Kipnis reinstate the middle notes of the right hand triplet groupings. Then, too, one might be caught off guard by the breezy Courantes or certain movements aimed more toward listeners than dancers. Yet how wonderful it is to hear performances that are so inherently musical and alive, served up by a master harpsichordist who is not ashamed to enjoy his own virtuosity. I enjoy it too. Let's hope the remainder of this long unavailable cycle also will gain CD reissue soon. And while we're at it, EMI, how about bringing out Kipnis' Goldberg Variations, still the most entertaining harpsichord version of this work on record. It's long overdue for CD reissue.

--Jed Distler