Album: Bach, Partitas 2, 3 and 4 – Murray Perahia (Sony)

Warmer than Brendel or Schiff, more delicate than Barenboim, less idiosyncratic than Uchida or Aimard, Murray Perahia's live performances have been heartbreakingly rare since the early 1990s.

Doubly painful, then, to hear what those of us disappointed by the cancellation of his Feburary recital at the Barbican may have missed. Bach has been Perahia's touchstone through illness and recuperation, and the depth of understanding in this performance is unmistakable. Aside from the perfection of voicing, articulation and tempi, it is the sheer simplicity of his playing that astounds.