Like his traversals of the English and French Suites, Richard Egarr’s Bach Partitas largely convey a rhythmic focus that underlines the music’s dance origins, in contrast with the harpsichordist’s relatively looser-limbed Well-Tempered Clavier and Goldberg Variations recordings. Rather than broach the Gigues as virtuoso showpieces, Egarr gives the phrases room to sing and breathe, without allowing occasional agogic stresses to derail the flow of the basic pulse. Nor do embellishments on repeats obliterate the original melodies. The Allemandes have more conversational wiggle room than usual, although the D major Allemande’s protracted pacing and overlapping finger legato are rather heavy going compared to Christophe Rousset’s lighter and faster elegance. The G major Praeambulum’s florid runs and dramatic pauses transpire at a low-energy trot, while, conversely, the D major and E minor Partitas’ grand opening introductions are refreshingly animated and businesslike. Similarly, the A minor Partita alternates between bracingly incisive (the splendidly articulated Corrente) and boringly limp (the sedate Scherzo).

However, Egarr’s Sarabandes are worth the price of admission. Here he takes ownership of his slow-motion comfort zone, unleashing imaginatively wrought embellishments with controlled freedom; I’ve never heard Egarr fuse heart, mind and fingers to such a soulful degree. It also doesn’t hurt that Harmonia Mundi’s engineering beautifully reproduces the dulcet colours characterising the Katzman harpsichord’s quill plectra. Should you want a Partita cycle that splits the difference between Rousset’s extroversion and the intimately wrought Masaaki Suzuki edition, Egarr just might fit the bill.