Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier - Roger Woodward (4CD)

Product Description:

When a musician of the rank and status of Roger Woodward decides to record Bach's complete Well-Tempered Clavier at the age of 65, one could see a symbolic connection here, keeping in mind that Bach passed away at 65; the pianist senses responsibility for the continuation of tradition. Moreover, Woodward sees an additional obligation to add new life to the music through his unique style of interpretation. With this, he is in the best of company indeed: It had been pointed out repeatedly - since his release of BWV 903, the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue - that Woodward's Bach is the most exciting since Glenn Gould. However, one ought not to misunderstand Woodward as iconoclast; his understanding of Bach is minted by tradition and above all respectful, especially showing such respect to those who set standards during the first century of recording technology. Although Woodward named it 'a defining moment' when he received the first finished copies of his Well-Tempered Clavier, he hastens to point out that one has to see him as the eternal student whose search for truth in music cannot end.

If one compares Woodward's reference recording of both books of Debussy's Préludes (Celestial Harmonies 13279-2) with his complete recording of both books of the Well-Tempered Clavier on 5 CDs, one winds up with the identical understanding of the works albeit having traveled in opposite directions. Was it Woodward's intention to find the structure (Woodward says 'the geometry') in Debussy, taking passion as a given, so is his way to Bach the reverse: He accepts the structure as a given and embarks on the search for passion.

In both instances, one receives as the result a balanced however passionate interpretation where structure and expression exist with equal rights, as should be the case in all great music. It is something like the heart of great Flamenco: The ideal and complete merging of total discipline and precision with the passion which only can give true life to music.

When Woodward was searching for the 'sacred cantilena' in Chopin's Nocturnes (Celestial Harmonies 14260-2), he rests his search for a fleeting moment with the 'legato cantabile' which can only be played as such on a modern grand piano (here a Hamburg Steinway D, dating from the early 1980s).

Surely what Woodward said about Hans Otte and his 48-part magnum opus 'Book of Hours' (Celestial Harmonies 13259-2) is equally true in the case of Bach: That some music doesn't open up through practice alone but only through reflection as it is philosophy in the end.

The complete edition of both books of the Well-Tempered Clavier on 5 CDs contains an 80-page essay by Roger Woodward, 'In Search of a Performance Practice', in German and English as well as the autographs of both books as high-quality facsimiles; for the first time, the lost pages have been replaced by contemporary music-set versions, based on the best available printed editions. It is thus the most complete publication of the Well-Tempered Clavier ever. Woodward had - whenever performance issues surfaced - throughout the recording process always consulted the autographs as the first and last instance.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1

1. Book 1: Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846 1:59
2. Book 1: Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 846 2:15
3. Book 1: Prelude No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847 1:59
4. Book 1: Fugue No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847 1:40
5. Book 1: Prelude No. 3 in C sharp major, BWV 848 1:14
6. Book 1: Fugue No. 3 in C sharp major, BWV 848 2:20
7. Book 1: Prelude No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 849 3:38
8. Book 1: Fugue No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 849 4:05
9. Book 1: Prelude No. 5 in D major, BWV 850 1:23
10. Book 1: Fugue No. 5 in D major, BWV 850 2:05
11. Book 1: Prelude No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 1:23
12. Book 1: Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 2:30
13. Book 1: Prelude No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 852 3:45
14. Book 1: Fugue No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 852 2:08
15. Book 1: Prelude No. 8 in E flat minor, BWV 853 4:00
16. Book 1: Fugue No. 8 in D sharp minor, BWV 853 5:47
17. Book 1: Prelude No. 9 in E major, BWV 854 1:30
18. Book 1: Fugue No. 9 in E major, BWV 854 1:21
19. Book 1: Prelude No. 10 in E minor, BWV 855 2:59
20. Book 1: Fugue No. 10 in E minor, BWV 855 1:20
21. Book 1: Prelude No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 1:01
22. Book 1: Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 1:20
23. Book 1: Prelude No. 12 in F minor, BWV 857 2:05
24. Book 1: Fugue No. 12 in F minor, BWV 857 4:24

Disc 2

1. Book 1: Prelude No. 13 in F sharp major, BWV 858 1:39
2. Book 1: Fugue No. 13 in F sharp major, BWV 858 2:49
3. Book 1: Prelude No. 14 in F sharp minor, BWV 859 1:05
4. Book 1: Fugue No. 14 in F sharp minor, BWV 859 4:21
5. Book 1: Prelude No. 15 in G major, BWV 860 0:56
6. Book 1: Fugue No. 15 in G major, BWV 860 3:04
7. Book 1: Prelude No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 1:35
8. Book 1: Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 2:12
9. Book 1: Prelude No. 17 in A flat major, BWV 862 1:21
10. Book 1: Fugue No. 17 in A flat major, BWV 862 2:56
11. Book 1: Prelude No. 18 in G sharp minor, BWV 863 1:25
12. Book 1: Fugue No. 18 in G sharp minor, BWV 863 3:05
13. Book 1: Prelude No. 19 in A major, BWV 864 1:36
14. Book 1: Fugue No. 19 in A major, BWV 864 2:41
15. Book 1: Prelude No. 20 in A minor, BWV 865 1:07
16. Book 1: Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWV 865 4:26
17. Book 1: Prelude No. 21 in B flat major, BWV 866 1:23
18. Book 1: Fugue No. 21 in B flat major, BWV 866 1:44
19. Book 1: Prelude No. 22 in B flat minor, BWV 867 2:27
20. Book 1: Fugue No. 22 in B flat minor, BWV 867 3:09
21. Book 1: Prelude No. 23 in B major, BWV 868 1:19
22. Book 1: Fugue No. 23 in B major, BWV 868 2:44
23. Book 1: Prelude No. 24 in B minor, BWV 869 4:12
24. Book 1: Fugue No. 24 in B minor, BWV 869 6:17

Disc 3

1. Book 2: Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 870 2:32
2. Book 2: Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 870 2:01
3. Book 2: Prelude No. 2 in C minor, BWV 871 2:30
4. Book 2: Fugue No. 2 in C minor, BWV 871 2:14
5. Book 2: Prelude No. 3 in C sharp major, BWV 872 1:36
6. Book 2: Fugue No. 3 in C sharp major, BWV 872 1:55
7. Book 2: Prelude No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 873 4:27
8. Book 2: Fugue No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 873 2:13
9. Book 2: Prelude No. 5 in D major, BWV 874 5:45
10. Book 2: Fugue No. 5 in D major, BWV 874 3:12
11. Book 2: Prelude No. 6 in D minor, BWV 875 1:43
12. Book 2: Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 875 1:57
13. Book 2: Prelude No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 876 2:35
14. Book 2: Fugue No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 876 2:28
15. Book 2: Prelude No. 8 in D sharp minor, BWV 877 4:28
16. Book 2: Fugue No. 8 in D sharp minor, BWV 877 4:20

Disc 4

1. Book 2: Prelude No. 9 in E major, BWV 878 5:28
2. Book 2: Fugue No. 9 in E major, BWV 878 3:02
3. Book 2: Prelude No. 10 in E minor, BWV 879 5:05
4. Book 2: Fugue No. 10 in E minor, BWV 879 3:07
5. Book 2: Prelude No. 11 in F major, BWV 880 3:07
6. Book 2: Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 880 1:54
7. Book 2: Prelude No. 12 in F minor, BWV 881 4:48
8. Book 2: Fugue No. 12 in F minor, BWV 881 2:05
9. Book 2: Prelude No. 13 in F sharp major, BWV 882 3:47
10. Book 2: Fugue No. 13 in F sharp major, BWV 882 3:52
11. Book 2: Prelude No. 14 in F sharp minor, BWV 883 3:52
12. Book 2: Fugue No. 14 in F sharp minor, BWV 883 4:59
13. Book 2: Prelude No. 15 in G major, BWV 884 2:47
14. Book 2: Fugue No. 15 in G major, BWV 884 1:27
15. Book 2: Prelude No. 16 in G minor, BWV 885 2:44
16. Book 2: Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 885 3:22

Disc 5
1. Book 2: Prelude No. 17 in A flat major, BWV 886 3:59
2. Book 2: Fugue No. 17 in A flat major, BWV 886 2:50
3. Book 2: Prelude No. 18 in G sharp minor, BWV 887 5:37
4. Book 2: Fugue No. 18 in G sharp minor, BWV 887 5:13
5. Book 2: Prelude No. 19 in A major, BWV 888 1:58
6. Book 2: Fugue No. 19 in A major, BWV 888 1:17
7. Book 2: Prelude No. 20 in A minor, BWV 889 4:30
8. Book 2: Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWV 889 1:48
9. Book 2: Prelude No. 21 in B flat major, BWV 890 8:43
10. Book 2: Fugue No. 21 in B flat major, BWV 890 3:11
11. Book 2: Prelude No. 22 in B flat minor, BWV 891 2:38
12. Book 2: Fugue No. 22 in B flat minor, BWV 891 4:17
13. Book 2: Prelude No. 23 in B major, BWV 892 2:12
14. Book 2: Fugue No. 23 in B major, BWV 892 3:12
15. Book 2: Prelude No. 24 in B minor, BWV 893 2:24
16. Book 2: Fugue No. 24 in B minor, BWV 893 1:53

Re-order code: CD182901