This Da Vinci Classics album features some of Bachs most beloved masterpieces. They illustrate two fundamental aspects of his style and personality: his love for Italian music and his pedagogical talent. Bach knew and loved Italian music; the fruit of his skillful and careful transcriptions after Italian concertos is the Concerto in the Italian Style, a brilliant and touching keyboard work. His Aria variata alla maniera italiana is almost a preparatory sketch for the Goldberg Variations, and is grounded on Frescobaldis models. On the other hand, Bachs interest in the education of young musicians is fully illustrated by the wonderful Inventions and Symphonies, in two and three parts respectively. They provide an efficacious training for polyphonic playing, while also constituting a series of beautiful miniatures. These short educational pieces are also small gems, each in its own way, and are still widely employed for teaching polyphony to budding keyboard players.