The French Suites = Französischen Suiten = Suites Françaises / Overture In The French Style, BWV 831 = Ouvertüre Nach Französischer Art = Ouverture À La Française

This 1984 release represents a significant moment in the recorded legacy of Glenn Gould, compiled shortly after the pianist's death. It features his interpretations of Bach's French Suites and the Overture in the French Style, works that exemplify Bach's mastery of stylized dance forms. These recordings capture the unique, analytical, and highly articulated style that became synonymous with Gould's approach to the Baroque repertoire, emphasizing contrapuntal clarity over traditional Romantic phrasing.

The album was released by CBS Masterworks, the label that served as the primary home for Gould's extensive discography. The design and production reflect the austere, scholarly aesthetic common to classical releases of the early 1980s. While Gould's Bach recordings were sometimes met with critical polarization during his lifetime due to his unconventional tempos and vocalizations, they have since been re-evaluated as seminal interpretations that fundamentally altered public perception of how keyboard music from the eighteenth century could be performed on a modern piano.