Often heralded as one of the finest Bach interpreters today, Sir András Schiff embarks on Book I of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier at the prestigious BBC Proms – a supreme technical challenge for any performer and an astonishing experience for every listener, especially when they are played with the mastery and “gracious lucidity” (ArtsDesk) of András Schiff.
Once described as the ‘Old Testament’ of the keyboard repertoire, the two volumes of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier represent one of Western music’s greatest achievements. These two sequences of 24 Preludes and Fugues – one in every key – are a wealth of musical invention, ingenuity and delight. Beethoven found in Bach’s work a source of inspiration: “Everytime I faltered while composing, I took the ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’ and immediately ideas started to flow again.” Schiff, “travelling deeper into the inexplicable mysteries of Bach’s music” (Observer), provides “masterly interpretations” (bachtrack). His recital of the first volume at the BBC Proms is “one of those unforgettable revelations” (Observer).