Maurizio Pollini, a living legend of piano, records the benchmark repertoire of the Well-Tempered Clavier for the first time in his storied career. Thus, this album is an event – a summit meeting of masters.
Despite having played the Well-Tempered Clavier in concert halls for more than twenty years, Pollini intensively restudied the music before consenting to record it. His humility and dedication result in a transcendent performance that is less an interpretation than a revelation.
Hugely popular in its own right, as a Pollini project the Well-Tempered Clavier will excite critics and his fan base alike as a crown jewel of the Bach discography on any label.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier: Book 1, BWV 846-869
Prelude in C major BWV 846
Fugue in C major BWV 846
Prelude in C minor BWV 847
Fugue in C minor BWV 847
Prelude in C sharp major BWV 848
Fugue in C sharp major BWV 848
Prelude in C sharp minor BWV 849
Fugue in C sharp minor BWV 849
Prelude in D major BWV 850
Fugue in D major BWV 850
Prelude in D minor BWV 851
Fugue in D minor BWV 851
Prelude in E flat major BWV 852
Fugue in E flat major BWV 852
Prelude in D sharp minor/E flat minor BWV 853
Fugue in D sharp minor/E flat minor, BWV 853
Prelude in E major BWV 854
Fugue in E major BWV 854
Prelude in E minor BWV 855
Fugue in E minor BWV 855
Prelude in F major BWV 856
Fugue in F major BWV 856
Prelude in F minor BWV 857
Fugue in F minor BWV 857
Prelude in F sharp major BWV 858
Fugue in F sharp major BWV 858
Prelude in F sharp minor BWV 859
Fugue in F sharp minor BWV 859
Prelude in G major BWV 860
Fugue in G major BWV 860
Prelude in G minor BWV 861
Fugue in G minor BWV 861
Prelude in A flat major BWV 862
Fugue in A flat major BWV 862
Prelude in A flat minor/G sharp minor BWV 863
Fugue in A flat minor/G sharp minor BWV 863
Prelude in A major BWV 864
Fugue in A major BWV 864
Prelude in A minor BWV 865
Fugue in A minor BWV 865
Prelude in B flat major BWV 866
Fugue in B flat major BWV 866
Prelude in B flat minor BWV 867
Fugue in B flat minor BWV 867
Prelude in B major BWV 868
Fugue in B major BWV 868
Prelude in B minor BWV 869
Fugue in B minor BWV 869
25th February 2010
***
“Predictably, there's much to admire in Maurizio Pollini's first Bach recording: the sovereign authority projected through every bar, the sense of balance and aristocratic detachment, the perfect weight of tone.”
28th February 2010
***
“There is patrician pianism here: the arpeggios of the opening C major prelude have the limpidity one associates with his celebrated Chopin, and he digs deep to give emotional weight to the long preludes...This is vintage Pollini”
May 2010
****
“While Maurizio Pollini is not well known for his performances of Bach's music he is no stranger to it...His view of the music is almost invariably lyrical and often expressively intense...In short there is nothing mechanical, perfunctory or bland, and my sensibilities were often touched by playing that is untainted by reverence.”
July 2010
“Close listening reveals minute changes in tone colour, subtle and strategic deployment of the piano's una corda pedal, plus long phrases and fugal textures that have beginnings, middles and ends but no dead spots.”
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Prelude in C major BWV 846
