Johann Sebastian Bach -

The Well-Tempered Clavier
Das Wohltemperierte Klavier

PART 1/2 - Tape 3+4

Friedrich Gulda

Friedrich Gulda - Bach - complete recordings of The Well-Tempered Clavier

It is not presumptuous to claim that two monumental events in Western music meet in Friedrich Gulda's recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Firstly, this very special recording which dates from the years 1972-73 and represents the highlight and culmination of the collaboration between the Austrian pianist and the Villingen sound wizard Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, and their aspirational goal of attaining the optimal sound. It is exactly this quality which makes Gulda's interpretation so vital and daring even today. Secondly, the work itself. With the complete sequence of preludes and fugues in all 24 keys, Johann Sebastian Bach had created a series of works which brought the development of tempered tuning a quantum leap forward.

The recordings are now available in unprecedented sound quality. The original analogue recordings from 1972/73 form the basis of Christoph Stickel's unobtrusive "refurbishing" which aims to avoid any artistic intervention. You, the valued listener, will be transported back into the sound engineer's chair at the time of recording.

Label: MPS