Das Wohltemperierte Klavier 2

Following his recording of the first book of Bach's 'Wohltemperierte Klavier', released last year and praised by Gramophone as 'a pleasant reference for anyone seeking an interpretation that honours every detail of the music', harpsichordist Masato Suzuki now presents his interpretation of the second book of Bach's masterful cycle of preludes and fugues. No other work from the Baroque period is so appreciated, performed and studied as these collections, which pursue musical, theoretical and didactic aims. Like the first book, the second book of the Wohltemperierte Klavier contains a prelude and a fugue in each of the 12 semitones of the chromatic scale and covers all 24 major and minor keys. It was composed twenty years after the first book and is heard less frequently than its predecessor. Nevertheless, it contains pieces of great beauty, which span a broad stylistic spectrum, and demonstrate a mastery of counterpoint that never overshadows emotion, beauty and aesthetics. Masato Suzuki works as a conductor, harpsichordist, pianist and organist. He is chief conductor of Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ), conductor and creative partner of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and music director of Ensemble Genesis.