Friedemann Bach would perhaps not have regarded his set of 12 Polonaises as his masterpiece but it was practically the only complete set of pieces that he was able to bring to fruition and publish, and is his most recorded work today. These many readings (at least three by my count) show that the set not only bears repeated listening but can sustain multiple interpretations. What’s more, the three that are currently available are well contrasted, both interpretatively and in the choice of instrument: Paul Simmonds’s for London Independent Records is on the clavichord, Harald Hoeren’s for CPO on fortepiano, and this latest offering on harpsichord and the tangent piano.

That last instrument provides curiosity value – it’s basically a fortepiano with a clavichord action – but Siegbert Rampe’s set is in some ways the most enterprising. It’s now usual to perform both sets of repeats in binary-form pieces (particularly on period instruments), but few performers take the next logical step, that of embellishing repeats with a great degree of freedom. Rampe’s reprises don’t exactly amount to re-composition but they sometimes come very close. For the most part this works very well and lends a greater individuality to this set than one finds in Hoeren’s very workmanlike but over-literal readings. The danger is that he overdoes it a little, as in the G major piece, where the fussy rhythms seem to trip over themselves. Otherwise, his harpsichord’s quasi-symphonic tone may take a little getting used to (it’s a copy of one owned by Friedemann’s father), and on at least one occasion (the F minor) comes close to sounding out of tune. My personal preference goes to Simmonds’s set, for the clavichord is a heart-stoppingly evocative instrument; but this new recording offers much food for thought. Oh, by the way: 2010 is the composer’s tercentenary. Let’s hope he’s not entirely lost sight of in the glut of anniversaries…