Despite the C.P.E. Bach fest that surrounded the tercentenary of his birth being long over we are still seeing a wealth of new and most welcome recordings. This new recording is no exception, and long may they keep appearing.

Andrea Coen is a name new to me, but on this showing he is a man of great skill and interpretive ability. He beautifully phrases passages to get the best out of this music. His mastery of control is Les Folies D’Espagne Wq118/9 (H263), which was new to me, is wonderful. He weaves through the theme and each of the twelve variations effortlessly drawing out every nuance of the music. Similarly with the Minuet in G Wq118/7 (H14) by Pietro Locatelli, here Bach takes the theme from the final movement of Locatelli’s Sonata Op. 2 No. 10 and adds a myriad of colour in a series of twenty-one variations. Here Coen once again shows his ability to show the full depth of musical color of these short pieces. Indeed Coen makes this set one of real interest and one which I didn’t tire of. I found it easy to listen through both discs in one sitting without losing interest in the music or the performance. Coen’s choice of instrument has a lot to do with this, a copy of a 1749 instrument by Silbermann which gives just the right depth to the music without being as overpowering as some later pianos would be.

The recorded sound is excellent, as are the booklet notes. This is a set of real interest and appeal - a must for all devotees of C.P.E. Bach’s wonderful music; all the better for presenting the complete variations in a single 2 CD set.

– MusicWeb International (Stuart Sillitoe)