Bach, J S: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Das Wohltemperiertes Klavier, BWV846-869)

“Pienaar [is] swift, bright and crisp...Pienaar clarifies the subject matter in greater detail and he builds to a taut climax. [The A minor Fugue] is one of the many highlights in his set that includes a magnificently profiled F sharp minor Fugue, an E flat major Prelude where unsynchronised hands are used to enhance the melody of the chorale section, and an audacious altered version of its companion Fugue.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2004

“Daniel-Ben Pienaar’s recording of Book 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, together with his eloquent booklet notes, leaves no doubt that this South African-born pianist is a thinking virtuoso...he seems determined to leave his own mark on this music.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2004

“He's a thoughtful pianist with a fine technique and beautiful tonal variety. One fabulous moment is his performance of the F-minor Prelude: he plays it with a pale, almost lifeless tone and a very slow tempo. At the other side of the spectrum is his very humorous performance of the A-major Fugue. The first note is given a sharp, short attack, and the remainder of the subject prances stealthily upward like a cat on the prowl.” American Record Guide, April 2004

“I doubt if readers will find much to take issue with in this thoughtful and serious approach.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 ****

“Uninhibited virtuosity… This is playing of real stature. Richard Egarr is the doyen of English harpsichordists” Gramophone Magazine

“"HOW do you like your "Well-tempered Klavier"? These are, of course, the famous 48 preludes and fugues of Bach which take the keyboard player systematically through the complete chromatic sequence of keys - twice. And recording artists over the years have presented it to us in varying styles and forms, at its most eccentric in the curt idiosyncratic non-pedalled pianism of Glenn Gould. In this new release of Book 1, Richard Egarr delivers Bach's seminal collection on the instrument we most expect these days, the harpsichord. There is nothing pretentious in his playing, just an obvious love for the music, and a flexible stylistic approach that avoids the clinical dogma of academic purism, delivering instead performances that mix well-articulated clarity with a pliant musicality. The catalogue can stand this worthwhile addition.” The Scotsman

“to hear these miraculous preludes and fugues played with absolute clarity and rhythmic flexibility by Egarr is a special treat…one of the finest recordings of this work now available.” Classic FM Magazine

“A lovely-sounding harpsichord and much of van Asperen's playing appeals too, but he tends to be unyielding in such elaborate structures as the final fugue.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2006 ***

'The first recorded performances by a pianist of Book I that have made me want to hear them many times over. Strongly recommended' (Gramophone)

“Admirers of Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt's lightly articulated and elegantly phrased Bach playing won't be disappointed by this recording.
These qualities characterise the playing of each and every one of these profoundly didactic yet sublimely poetic pieces. Her restrained use of the sustaining pedal, her consequently clearly spoken articulation, and the resultant lucidity of musical thought, bring to mind the recorded performances of Edwin Fischer. Hewitt certainly sounds more comfortable in a studio than Fischer ever did, and her technique is more consistently disciplined than his was under these circumstances. Her reflective view of the more inward-looking fugues, such as the lyrical one in E flat minor, is most attractive. Taut, but with a suppleness that's entirely devoid of stiffness, this is indeed cogent and gracefully beautiful playing of a high order. You may sense, from time to time, an overtly intense element of subjective thought in her understanding of the music, a quality which seems to be endorsed by occasional references in her lively, illuminating and detailed introduction, to Bach's 'sense of inner peace', and so on. However, to conclude on a thoroughly positive and enthusiastic note, these are performances of Book 1 that you'll want to hear many times over. The recording and instrument sound well, too.
Hewitt's Book 2 is a delight to both ear and mind. Everything is in the best taste and free of exhibitionism. There are subtle tonal nuances, natural rises and falls of dynamics, well-defined differentiation of contrapuntal lines and appreciation of the expressive implications of Bach's chromaticisms. Throughout her playing of these preludes and fugues – several longer, more mature and more demanding than those of Book 1 – there's a sense of unhurried poise, with flowing rhythm. The air of tranquillity is underlined by her frequent adoption of very quiet openings, many of which then take on a warmer tone towards the end – even the E major Fugue, which Landowska labelled 'combative', is handled quietly, yet she's able to sound contemplative (as in the E major Fugue) without lapsing into Tureckian reverentiality.
Just occasionally Bach's more intense movements tempt her into emotional rubatos which, though musically affecting, take Bach out of his century, and not everyone will care for the big allargandos she makes at the ends of some of the earlier movements. Otherwise these are musicianly and imaginative performances.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010