Bach composed three sets of suites for clavier: six English Suites, six French Suites, and six Partitas. The English Suites are the earliest, dating mostly to Bach’s Weimar period. The French Suites, written in Cöthen between 1722 and1725, occupy the middle period, and the Partitas are the latest, written during Bach’s time in Leipzig and published as the first book of the Clavierübung in 1738. The French Suites are smaller, more modest works than the English Suites and the Partitas, more “gallant” and more idiomatic in style and execution—less dramatic and contrapuntal than the English Suites, less ambitious and sophisticated than the Partitas.' Vladimir Feltsman

Pianist and conductor Vladimir Feltsman is one of the most versatile and constantly interesting musicians of our time. His vast repertoire encompasses music from the Baroque to 20th-century composers. A regular guest soloist with leading symphony orchestras in the United States and abroad, he appears in the most prestig ious concert series and music festivals all over the world.

Mr. Feltsman’s extensive discography has been released on the Melodiya, Sony Classical, and Nimbus labels. His discography includes eight albums of clavier works of J.S. Bach, recordings of Beethoven’s last five piano sonatas, solo piano works of Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Messiaen and Silvestrov, as well as concerti by Bach, Brahms, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev.