Of the various complete Bach organ recorded sets, few consistently transport this great music out of the loft and into the interpretative fray of seasoned chamber music performance. Robert Quinney does so here with a recital of probing vitality and resourcefulness. The choice of the Metzler organ of Trinity College, Cambridge, brings a kaleidoscope of intimacy, soft hues and etched counterpoints in the trios (such as the exquisite Trio super ‘Allein Gott’, BWV664, and the Adagio of BWV564) but elsewhere the depth of the instrument is matched by a brilliantly studied, almost microscopic assessment of the stylus fantasticus, not to mention Quinney’s skilful referencing of the many other genres which the young Bach absorbed with fanatical enthusiasm.

Paradoxically, the most distinctive feature is the way Quinney’s authoritative distillation of the music never results in dry, academic essays – while, also, never playing to the gallery with maverick rhetorical effects (à la Koopman). There’s an inner control and considered pedigree which leads to the ubiquitous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV565, with all clichés eschewed, paraded as an introit of unusual litheness and dynamic coherence.

The tour de force is the reading of the Passacaglia, which is exceptionally paced, eloquently balancing Bach’s ingenious figuration with registration inflections whose incremental effect brings the vast scale of his piece into ever-clearer view. Some may prefer a little more abandon in the outer sections of BWV564 but the F major Toccata and Fugue, BWV540, brings a questing nervous energy, where legato and ‘lift’ combine with ease. From refined conceits of sublime devotional contemplation in the chorale preludes to the sharply drawn canvases of the large-scale works, Quinney’s Bach gets to the heart of the music with refreshing clarity and a communication born of genuine understanding. Bring on the next volume soon, please.