By now, Ma’s wings are fully grown. His capacity for soaring seems limitless, his ability to minutely alter dynamics and tempos at the least prompting and the joy of his lilting rhythms are inspirational. I don’t think he has ever made a greater recording and his personal booklet notes help provide a conceptual setting for his playing.

There’s an overwhelming sense of freedom to his playing here, both in terms of phrasing and even the basic sonorities themselves: the recording acoustic (closer and drier than that of its immediate forerunner) plays its part, but rather than consciously nurturing the tone with either hand Ma now simply allows the sound to blossom and decay as it will...These ‘Six Evolutions’, then, are essential listening for devotees of Ma’s older recordings as well as for anyone eager to experience Bach’s masterpiece in all their infinite variety in interpretations entirely devoid of ego.

The most affecting, dramatic and humane interpretation of this divine music that I have heard...Time and again Ma enlivens the suites’ formal patterns with dazzlingly various textures and tones: husky, velvet, thrusting, singing…Instead of studiously tracking the music note for note, he’s living inside it and the results are incomparably thrilling...Perfect.