Mahan Esfahani & Friends: Mahan Esfahani and Lars Anders Tomter

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert

A recital of vivid contrasts: a pair of works by Bach, a Danish Quickstep and some exquisite miniatures.

This is a free-wheeling, expressive programme, mingling the Baroque with the modern-day. J S Bach’s G minor Sonata, with its elegiac slow movement, is complemented by his spirited and sunny Sonata in D major. The Sonata in C minor, by Bach’s eldest son, is intense, thorny and emotionally charged.

Bursting into the 21st century is Poul Ruders’ Quickstep Rag, composed especially for Mahan Esfahani, and as nimble as its title suggests. And in honour of the centenary of Hungarian composer György Kurtág, selections from his Signs, Games and Messages: small but potent musical utterances.

Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani is one of the most compelling performers on the current scene, bringing his trademark flair and responsive musicianship to music from across the centuries. He is well-matched in versatility and style by the celebrated violist Lars Anders Tomter.

Programme: Johann Sebastian Bach · Sonata in G minor BWV 1029 · Wilhelm Friedemann Bach · Sonata in C minor · Poul Ruders · Quickstep Rag · Johann Sebastian Bach · Sonata in D major BWV 1028 · György Kurtág · Selections from Signs, Games and Messages — Mahan Esfahani harpsichord · Lars Anders Tomter viola