Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817 Gianluca Luisi

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812:
• 1 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: I. Allemande 03:00
• 2 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: II. Courante 01:44
• 3 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: III. Sarabande 02:09
• 4 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: IV. Menuet I 00:56
• 5 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: V. Menuet II 01:07
• 6 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: VI. Menuet I da capo 00:30
• 7 French Suite No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 812: VII. Gigue 02:31
• French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a:
• 8 French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a: I. Allemande 03:15
• 9 French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a: II. Courante 01:39
• 10 French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a: III. Sarabande 02:22
• 11 French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a: IV. Air 01:16
• 12 French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a: V. Menuet 01:27
• 13 French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 813a: VI. Gigue 02:20
• French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a:
• 14 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: I. Allemande 03:01
• 15 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: II. Courante 01:44
• 16 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: III. Sarabande 02:15
• 17 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: IV. Anglaise 01:14
• 18 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: V. Menuet 01:16
• 19 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: VI. Trio 01:01
• 20 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: VII. Menuet 00:41
• 21 French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814a: VIII. Gigue 01:48
• French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a:
• 22 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: I. Allemande 02:41
• 23 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: II. Courante 01:42
• 24 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: III. Sarabande 01:45
• 25 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: IV. Gavotte 01:11
• 26 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: V. Air 00:56
• 27 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: VI. Menuet 01:16
• 28 French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815a: VII. Gigue 02:23
• French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816:
• 29 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: I. Allemande 02:35
• 30 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: II. Courante 01:29
• 31 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: III. Sarabande 04:25
• 32 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: IV. Gavotte 01:13
• 33 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: V. Bourrée 01:10
• 34 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: VI. Loure 02:31
• 35 French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: VII. Gigue 03:38
• French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817:
• 36 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: I. Allemande 02:18
• 37 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: II. Courante 01:13
• 38 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: III. Sarabande 02:05
• 39 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: IV. Gavotte 01:19
• 40 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: V. Polonaise 01:28
• 41 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: VI. Menuet 01:12
• 42 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: VII. Bourrée 01:16
• 43 French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817: VIII. Gigue 02:28
• Total Runtime 01:19:30

Info for Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817

The six French Suites, BWV 812–817 were written for the clavier (harpsichord or clavichord) by Johann Sebastian Bach between 1722 and 1725. They were later given the name "French" by Bach's biographer J.N. Forkel, who wrote that "one usually calls them French Suites because they are written in the French manner" - despite the fact that only a few of the movements are in the French style (the courantes of the first and third suites, for example). Bach employed dance movements that are foreign to the French manner, such as the Polonaise of the Sixth suite.

No definitive manuscript of the suites has survived. This is due to the fact that Bach made several copies, all with remarkable differences in regard to which movements are included in each suite, but also because several other manuscript sources from the 1730s and '40s are in the hand of copyists. Italian pianist Gianluca Luisi is perhaps one of today's most relevant exponents of Bach's keyboard music, and one of the very few pianists to have won the Saarbrücken International Piano Competition. Luisi's Bach is fanciful, rhythmic, filled with contrasts and timbric nuances.

The sound of a brand new Steinway D piano was captured by Brüel & Kjær microphones.

Gianluca Luisi, piano

Gianluca Luisi
Critics from around the world (Postdate Nachrichten , Fanfare, New York at Carnegie Hall Concert reviews , Musica, consider Gianluca Luisi one of the most interesting Italian pianists of our time. His performances have received enthusiastic acclaim in many areas of the world.

In Italy, he graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Pesaro; studied at the Incontri col Maestro International Academy in Imola and with Aldo Ciccolini in Naples and Paris.

A winner of numerous competitions ( TIM International Competition Bellini of Caltanissetta , Rendano Prize, Competition of Cesenatico, Italian Music Youth Auditions, International Competition of Sulmona. Gianluca d received the first prize of the 4th International J.S. Bach competition in Saarbrucken - Würzburg, in March of 2001. He was selected among 54 pianists from 26 different countries while the critics heralded him as a new interpreter of J.S. Bach. On that occasion the Saarbrucken Zeitung declared: "The Italian won the first prize here. Well deserved […] because the young man is a great interpreter of Bach […] He produces music absolutely free . What more do you want?”

Gianluca Luisi has performed in prestigious halls and important venues, such as the Musikverein in Vienna , Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Festival of the rarity of the piano music of Husum ( Germany), the concert hall Toyota (Japan), the " Musical Evenings "(serate musicali) in Milan, the Fondazione del Teatro Lirico di Trieste, the Accademia Filarmonica di Verona, the" Tiroler Festspiele (Austria), the Konzert Hall and Chuden Hall in Nagoya ( Japan), the Rossini Festival (Pesaro ), the New Auditorium of Milan, the Buam Hall in Seoul (Korea).

He also performed at the famous Teather Bellini in Catania, at the San Carlo in Naples ,to the Schleswig- Holstein Musik Festival, (Hamburg ), in the Mozart Saal at the Bachakademie in Stuttgart, the Bach Festival in Leipzig, in the castle of Bach in Köthen, Boesendorfer Hall in Vienna,for the Music Festival of the Saarland, in Weiden and Sulzbach for Meisterkonzerte, in Bauman Auditorium in Newberg (USA) and many other U.S. cities (Washington, New York, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Lower Columbia College in Washington, as well as other places in Europe (Czechoslovakia, Malta, Porto ,Oslo, Helsink, Berlin, Neuhardenberg, Frankfurt.

He has worked with orchestras and as a chamber collaborator with the following ensembles: International Deutsch Chamber Orchestra (Frankfurt), Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra (Croatia), Frankfurt Ensemble by Hessichen Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Chantilly (Berlin),Winds of Parma, Orchestra of the San Carlo (Naples), Marche Philharmonic Orchestra(FORM), Symphony Orchestra Rossini, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Kasugay Symphony Orchestra (Japan), as well as others.

Among the extensive selections of his repertoire stands are the complete Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, a work he has performed countless times from memory, receiving enthusiastic acclaim from international critics (i.e., during the Bach Week in Potsdam, Berlin, Germany) and one he recorded for the American label Centaur. Fanfare and American Record Guide described his recording as an absolute reference with the historic atmosphere of Edwin Fischer; the magazine "Piano News" (Düsseldorf) rated Gianluca's recording 6 out of 6 stars for the quality of his interpretation.

Gianluca has made many recordings, some of which are devoted to unusual repertoire, including unpublished works and world premieres. He has taken part in the complete recording project of the Gradus ad Parnassum by Clementi and has issued a CD dedicated to Liszt with the Years of Pilgrimage, Italy (also for Centaur). Two additional CD that have received accolades from the critics, include the quintet of G. Onslow and the two piano concertos of Chopin with the Ensemble Concertant Frankfurt for Dabringhaus und Grimm (MDG). On Naxos International Gianluca recorded 1 CD with music by F. Liszt , two CD's with chamber compositions of L.Thuille (including the complete works for violin and piano with violinist Marco Rogliano),two CD’s with the complete set of the 100 J.B.Cramer complete Etudes, for Naxos Grand Piano Label.

For ONCLASSICAL and Aevea Label recorded the 6 Partitas by J.S Bach ( 2 CD 's), a CD devoted to the sonatas of Mozart and one virtuosic paraphraph. Also, for Danacord, Gianluca recorded a CD, live, at Husum Festival which has been reviewed by Gramophone Magazine (UK ) as the best album of the month of November 2013 . There are also many live and studio radio recordings broadcast by Munich Radio, a popular radio station in Cleveland, Portland,BBC, Radio New Zealand, Rai Radio Tre and Deutschland Radio Kultur (Berlin). With pianist Konstantin Sherbakov, Gianluca has performed the complete 9 Beethoven Symphonies in the transcription of F. Liszt in Berlin- Neuhardenberg.

Gianluca's repertoire encompasses a large part of the literature for the piano and includes composers as diverse as J.S. Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Ciaikowsky, and Prokofiev and contemporary composers Petrassi, Barber, Britten and unknown or little known composers as Thuille and Onslow .

Among the many projects for 2014 , Gianluca plans to record some important chamber works by L.V.Beethoven in collaboration with violinist Marco Rogliano and he will tour Korea( first time) and the United States as well as Europe. Gianluca Luisi is a Naxos recording artist and Boesendorfer artist.

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