Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 846 in C majo
2. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 846 in C majo
3. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 847 in C mino
4. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 847 in C mino
5. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 848 in C shar
6. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 848 in C shar
7. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 849 in C shar
8. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 849 in C shar
9. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 850 in D majo
10. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 850 in D majo
11. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 851 in D mino
12. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 851 in D mino
13. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 852 in E flat
14. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 852 in E flat
15. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 853 in E flat
16. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 853 in E flat
17. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 854 in E majo
18. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 854 in E majo
19. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 855 in E mino
20. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 855 in E mino
21. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 856 in F majo
22. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 856 in F majo
23. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 857 in F mino
24. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 857 in F mino
25. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 858 in F shar
26. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 858 in F shar
27. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 859 in F shar
28. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 859 in F shar

Disc 2:

1. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 860 in G majo
2. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 860 in G majo
3. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 861 in G mino
4. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 861 in G mino
5. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 862 in A flat
6. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 862 in A flat
7. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 863 in G shar
8. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 863 in G shar
9. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 864 in A majo
10. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 864 in A majo
11. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 865 in A mino
12. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 866 in B flat
13. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 866 in B flat
14. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 867 in B flat
15. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 867 in B flat
16. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 868 in B majo
17. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 868 in B majo
18. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 869 in B mino
19. The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude & Fugue, BWV 869 in B mino

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23595 in Music
• Released on: 2000-02-08
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .51 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
This is the sort of set you start keeping score on, as positive and negative factors occur. The 1953 mono recording sounds every year of its age, so at four CDs for the price of three it's not a great bargain. Tureck writes at length in the booklet about her style of Bach playing and how it has changed over half a century, but she still endorses these performances. The listeners who respond best to them will probably be those hankering for the good old days when we didn't worry too much about issues of Baroque style. Tureck plays clearly and uses some proper ornaments, but she often romanticizes the music with slow tempos and extremes of dynamics. For every fugue she nails (like No. 12 in Book I) there are several that seem distended by modern standards. Even without the sparkling Feltsman edition for MusicMasters (recently deleted), there are several piano performances of the WTC available that will suit most tastes better, including the provocative and sometimes crazy Gould and the relatively straightforward Schiff. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews

Tureck - Bach's 48
I was brought up on Tureck's Well-Tempered Clavier and have eagerly awaited this CD issue ever since CDs were invented. I am not disappointed. The tempi are occasionally slower than some modern performances (Schiff, et al)but the crystal clarity and articulation is amazing. Listen to the B-flat Fugue (No 17) in book 1 and marvel at the way the different voices are brought-out. By comparison Schiff seems unsubtle and Gould sounds (to me) crude. Is Tureck true to baroque style? Who knows. This collection is pure music at the very highest level - not a history book! The recording is not wonderful by today's standards but more than adequate once you have got used to the tape hiss. For me, this edition is definitive.

48 Preludes and Fugues / Rosalyn Tureck
This is perhaps the most beautiful recording that I have had the pleasure of hearing. I also have piano interpretations of the Well Tempered Clavier by Edwin Fischer, Glen Gould, Andras Schiff and Jeno Jando. While the Fischer recording is also an essential purchase, Tureck's is the only one that holds me spellbound from start to finish. Her tempi are highly variable (note that she was a major influence of Gould's style of playing), but her composure and control are never in doubt. There is quite a lot of background hiss which can be troublesome at first, but over time this became totally insignificant in relation to magnificent music. To me, this music is perfect - one of the only works that, for me, creates the impression of time standing still.

Spiritual
Yes, there is tape hiss, but it's unobtrusive and should not hinder the musical appreciation of any true Bachian. As to tempi, Tureck has a feel for expressing the timeless quality of the WTC, and at her most successful, tempo concerns dissolve. Go to Gould for pianistic virtuosity and an ego that sometimes bruises phrases, other times lifts them to heights of expressive potential; to Fischer (on Naxos) for the personality, the character of each prelude and fugue; to Hewitt for dynamics of almost Lisztian vibrancy, and to Schiff if you want bland, generic vanilla Bach. But if you want your WTC to approach something of the spirtuality and depth of the Matthew Passion or the B-Minor Mass, go with Tureck. She invests every fiber of her apparently reverent soul into each note, a performance which the light of heart can confuse with ponderousness. In short, Tureck's WTC is a must for those who must have their Bach mean as well as say something. For them, considerations such as tape hiss are trivial.