Work: English Suite no. 6 in D minor, BWV811

Piotr Anderszewski seated himself on a chair without any fuss and eased into the Allemande of Bach’s French Suite no. 5 in G with a soft touch. His rounded notes, subdued in the left hand, not too sparkly in the right, were as far as you could get from the quirky, angular style of Glenn Gould, who rules in Toronto, his home turf.

At age 43, Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski is known for his sensitive touch, technical versatility and probing musicianship, with a wide repertory that spans the works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Janáček, Schumann and Szymanowski, among others.

Pianist Piotr Anderszewski’s recital at the Barbican Centre had a surprise up the sleeve even before it started. As the audience entered the hall, Anderszewski, in casual dress, was already on the stage, sitting on a sofa placed by the piano and reading a book with a mug of tea in his hand.