João Carlos Martins / Bach
Vol. 5
The Two and Three Part Inventions

Labor Records is proud to announce the digital release of The Two- and Three Part Inventions, the fifth installment of The Complete Keyboard Works of J.S. Bach, a collection comprising 15 volumes/19 CDs. This monumental edition features the celebrated Brazilian pianist João Carlos Martins, a legend among Bachophiles.

At the age of twelve, João Carlos Martins performed Bach’s Two-Part Inventions in public for the first time winning a local piano competition (this after he had been playing piano for six months). More than forty years passed before he played the entire set of Inventions for this recording. He says “Today, I am trying to get back the natural approach to playing I had when I was ten years old, combined with a sense of myself, of both the good parts of my life and the mistakes I’ve made.”

REVIEWS

His texture, particularly in the division between treble and bass registers, is remarkably clear, which makes the lines of counterpoint stand out in high relief. You get a strong sense of dialogue between the left and right hands. These qualities are particularly evident in the Two- and Three-Part Inventions.
– Joseph McLellan / The Washington Post

Martins is able to make Bach speak on a modern piano in very forceful, dynamic and human terms. – Billboard