Album: András Schiff Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (ECM New Series)

The Hungarian pianist András Schiff admits he now dislikes the sentimentality of some of his earlier Bach recordings; and this one is certainly clear of such emotional indulgences.

But there's abundant energy nonetheless: it's not as exacting an interpretation as Roger Woodward's scholarly acknowledgement of historical changes in instrumental tempi, compared with which Schiff dashes through the C minor Prelude in almost indecent haste, as permitted by modern pianos without falling foul of the crowding reverberations of the harpsichord. The result is a supremely classical rendition of one of classical music's keynote works, blessed with an almost transparent clarity.

Download:Praeludien und Fugen 1-48