J.S.BACH: THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER, BWV 846-893
Jaroslav Tuma - Clavichord
Book I (Kothen 1722), BWV 846 - 869
CD I
Preludes and Fugues 1 - 12
CD II
Preludes and Fugues 13 - 24
Clavichord built by Martin Kather from Hamburg in 1999, after the David Tannenberg manuscript from 1761
Book II (Leipzig 1744), BWV 870 - 893
CD III
Preludes and Fugues 1 - 12
CD IV
Preludes and Fugues 13 - 24
Clavichord built by Martin Kather from Hamburg in 1997, after German masters in a french style
Digital Recordinhs: 2000, 2002
The Well-Tempered Clavichord! That looks almost like a mistake in the title of your CD!
It’s no mistake; it’s there on purpose, and, if you like, it is also a subtle provocation. Some may be annoyed by a title like that; others won’t be, and will find it interesting. Bach called his work Das Wohltemperirte Clavier, which, in the established Czech translation, Dobre temperovany klavir, seems to me, no matter how accurate, a bit clumsy. What keyboard instrument did Bach intend his work for? It’s not clear even from the title page of the autograph. In my opinion and the opinion of many others, he mainly left it up to us to decide.
The title page, however, contains other important information, like Bach’s wish that the work should be ‘for the use and needs of young musicians eager to learn, and also for those already advanced in this study’.
His wish was more than fulfilled. The popularity of the ‘Old Testament’ of piano playing, as the collection of preludes and fugues was called by the pianist and conductor Hans von Bulow, kept growing over the centuries. Today, despite the distinct revival of interest in historically informed interpretation, many interpreters and listeners continue to prefer performances on the modern piano, which, however, didn’t exist in Bach’s day. ( ARTA )
