Ross is keenly aware of the delicate complexities of Bach’s writings: the twists and turns of his phrases, the harmonic surprises, and the internal dialogue that conjures polyphony from (ostensibly) a single melody. She performs his music with speech-like flexibility, with subtle inflections of dynamics, articulation, timbre and tempo that follow closely the contours of the music. Yet her rhetorical approach never seems contrived. Such constant attention to individual motifs and figures could have resulted in a stilted, stop-and-go effect, but this never happens in these performances. Ross never sacrifices the natural flow of the music (her rhythmic flexibility is admirable), and her attention to detail also contributes to an overall sense of structure and direction. She also responds movingly to the expressive breadth of Bach’s music, communicating, where appropriate, a sense of virtuoso brilliance, dance-like elegance or elegiac depth.

I do have a few local reservations. The Siciliana in the G-minor Sonata, for example, seemed to me a bit dry and calculated, and there are very occasional patches of rough intonation. But these are minor quibbles, and do not seriously detract from these excellent performances. I look forward to Volume 2 with keen anticipation. URI GOLOMB