Andrea Bacchetti takes an unashamedly pianistic approach to Bach – and there’s nothing wrong with that. Thus he’s not afraid to add ornamentation, often to fine effect, such as in the Anglaise of No 3, or notes inégales in numbers such as the Courante of Suite No 1. He gives the Allemande of No 2 time to sound, while in that of No 4 there’s a pleasing smoothness of line. And though his Gigues tend to be steady, at their best (eg No 1) they’re tautly sprung. Hewitt is, however, much more inclined to dance here.

Where he tends to come unstuck is in the Sarabandes, which are often very slow indeed. A case in point is that of the Fourth Suite. Bacchetti comes in at just over five minutes whereas Gould despatches it in just over two, Hewitt just under three and Richter – who sounds steady but not slow here – still manages to shave two minutes off the Italian’s timing. I assume what Bacchetti is aiming for here is an almost improvisatory-sounding reverie, complete with haze of pedal, but the effect is merely sluggish (and the sound of his Fazioli is somewhat anonymous). Gould et al are much more expressive precisely because of their greater focus.

He is more involving in the E minor Toccata – at least until you put on Gould, whose élan with the fugal writing bears no comparison. What’s lacking here is the sense of the joyous physicality of the music, a workout for mind and fingers, that the most empathetic Bach players find, something Hewitt understands well.

In the dramatic C minor Partita, too, Bacchetti’s shortcomings are exposed when compared to Perahia, whose sparkling Rondeau makes the Italian sound careworn. He goes for the big finish in the closing Capriccio but, even here, the momentum is thwarted by hesitations and the lack of an even pulse. If you admire this relatively free approach, Maria João Pires is matchless in a mixed disc that includes the Second French Suite.