Over a career spanning more than 30 years, the Dutch harpsichordist and conductor Pieter-Jan Belder has become renowned as a Bach interpreter with his surveys in concert and on record of the keyboard and orchestral masterpieces such as The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Brandenburg Concertos and no fewer than three recordings of the Goldberg Variations. On this new album, recorded in 2020 and 2021, Pieter-Jan Belder turns to the overlooked corners of Bach's early writing for the harpsichord. The pieces here are almost all extrovert, showcasing the young Bach's strengths as a performer and composer. An appreciation of French flair is discernible in the F minor Suite BWV823 and elsewhere, while the better-known pieces include the sober and songful Aria variata BWV989.

• Genre: Classical
• Label: Brilliant Classics