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.
Listen to music samples
01. Präludium und Fuge A-dur | 02. Präludium und Fuge a-moll | 03. Präludium und Fuge B-dur |
04. Präludium und Fuge b-moll | 05. Präludium und Fuge H-dur | 06. Präludium und Fuge h-moll |
3 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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Beautiful music
Piano music by Bach is something special.
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Gulda, Pianist out of this World
What Gulda is doing here is a class of its own. Bach and Friedrich Gulda match.
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Grandiose
Bach and Gulda... the recording accompanies me all my life. The recording quality is great - what was recorded in the Black Forest is unique. This direct reduction of the sound as if you were sitting in front of the wing... you have to like that. For me an interpretative and sound-technical milestone. Bought to spare my original vinyl edition, I have not been disappointed.