Bach, J S: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 & 2 (Das Wohltemperiertes Klavier, BWV846-893, 48 Preludes and Fugues) - DVD video

The most important work of the baroque keyboard repertoire, played by four world-class pianists.

Each artist performs twelve Preludes and Fugues from the work at one of four exceptionally charming venues: the Palazzo Labia in Venice, the Guell Palace in Barcelona, the Wartburg in Eisenach and the New Art Gallery in Walsall.

The performances were so recorded and impressively staged that the highly skilled visual direction literally opens up entirely new perspectives on Bach’s music.

The complete Well-Tempered Clavier, which requires normally 4 audio discs, on only 2DVDs.

“Here you are made more than conscious of a pianist in rapt communion with Bach’s spirit” Gramophone on Andrei Gavrilov

“McGregor’s verve, energy and astounding technique are always at the service of the music and never vice versa. Her ability to inhabit so many sound worlds with the same intensity andcommitment is profoundly impressive” BBC

“… extraordinary intimacy with the piano, which withholds no secrets of keyboard brilliance or expressive colouring from him, maximises the potential in the scoring …” The Times on Nikolai Demidenko

“The pianist who will define Bach performance on piano for years to come” Stereophile on Angela Hewitt

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 121 mins (DVD 1) 139 mins (DVD 2)

Audience: all

Bach's magnum opus, The Well-Tempered Clavier, is, for keyboard artists, a daunting master-piece exploiting the very limits of the instrument and those who brave its challenges. The young Russian pianist Konstantin Lifschitz has made Bach a specialty in his programming and his performances of the complete Well-Tempered Clavier - played from memory - in New York and Miami have elicited superlatives from the critics.

In an interesting variation in performance practice, Konstantin Lifschitz combines the two books of the Well-Tempered Clavier by following each prelude and fugue from Book I with the corresponding prelude and fugue from Book II, thus keeping the key signatures together and creating a steady progression through the scale to the end of the series.