Whether or not one accepts the premise that playing Bach to an infant is the equivalent of planting seeds in the child's mental garden, this disc offers an entertaining program. Concentrating on shorter, lighter movements, the disc shows the quick and nimble side of Bach, performed in a wide variety of styles ranging from the classical earnestness of legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter to the jazz-influenced arrangements of John Lewis and the unabashedly hokey Dixieland tootling of the Canadian Brass.
There's a lot of good material here, and this could indeed serve as a worthy introduction to Bach for children. Interestingly, the program concludes with the wonderfully serene aria from the Anna Magdalena Bach book, 'Bist du bei mir,' which is now believed to be the work of another composer. Whether this will have any effect on the youngsters remains to be seen.