Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Prelude No.1 in C major, BWV846
2. Fugue No.1 in C major, BWV846
3. Prelude No.2 in C minor, BWV847
4. Fugue No.2 in C minor, BWV847
5. Prelude No.3 in C sharp major, BWV848
6. Fugue No.3 in C sharp major, BWV848
7. Prelude No.4 in C sharp minor, BWV849
8. Fugue No.4 in C sharp minor, BWV849
9. Prelude No.5 in D major, BWV850
10. Fugue No.5 in D major, BWV850
11. Prelude No.6 in D minor, BWV851
12. Fugue No.6 in D minor, BWV851
13. Prelude No.7 in E flat major, BWV852
14. Fugue No.7 in E flat major, BWV852
15. Prelude No.8 in E flat minor, BWV853
16. Fugue No.8 in E flat minor, BWV853
17. Prelude No.9 in E major, BWV854
18. Fugue No.9 in E major, BWV854
19. Prelude No.10 in E minor, BWV855
20. Fugue No.10 in E minor, BWV855
21. Prelude No.11 in F major, BWV856
22. Fugue No.11 in F major, BWV856
23. Prelude No.12 in F minor, BWV857
24. Fugue No.12 in F minor, BWV857
25. Prelude No.13 in F sharp major, BWV858
26. Fugue No.13 in F sharp major, BWV858
27. Prelude No.14 in F sharp minor, BWV859
28. Fugue No.14 in F sharp minor, BWV859
29. Prelude No.15 in G major, BWV860
30. Fugue No.15 in G major, BWV860
31. Prelude No.16 in G minor, BWV861
32. Fugue No.16 in G minor, BWV861
33. Prelude No.17 in A flat major, BWV862
34. Fugue No.17 in A flat major, BWV862
35. Prelude No.18 in G sharp minor, BWV863
36. Fugue No.18 in G sharp minor, BWV863
37. Prelude No.19 in A major, BWV864
38. Fugue No.19 in A major, BWV864

Disc 2:

1. Prelude No.20 in A minor, BWV865
2. Fugue No.20 in A minor, BWV865
3. Prelude No.21 in B flat major, BWV866
4. Fugue No.21 in B flat major, BWV866
5. Prelude No.1 in C major, BWV870
6. Fugue No.1 in C major, BWV870
7. Prelude No.2 in C minor, BWV871
8. Fugue No.2 in C minor, BWV871
9. Prelude No.3 in C sharp major, BWV872
10. Fugue No.3 in C sharp major, BWV872
11. Prelude No.4 in C sharp minor, BWV873
12. Fugue No.4 in C sharp minor, BWV873
13. Prelude No.5 in D major, BWV874
14. Fugue No.5 in D major, BWV874
15. Prelude No.6 in D minor, BWV875
16. Fugue No.6 in D minor, BWV875
17. Prelude No.7 in E flat major, BWV876
18. Fugue No.7 in E flat major, BWV876
19. Prelude No.8 in D sharp minor, BWV877
20. Fugue No.8 in D sharp minor, BWV877
21. Prelude No.9 in E major, BWV878
22. Fugue No.9 in E major, BWV878
23. Prelude No.10 in E minor, BWV879

Disc 3:

1. Fugue No.10 in E minor, BWV879
2. Prelude in F major No.11 in F major, BWV880
3. Fugue in F major No.11 in F major, BWV880
4. Prelude No.12 in F minor, BWV881
5. Fugue No.12 in F minor, BWV881
6. Prelude No.13 in F sharp major, BWV882
7. Fugue No.13 in F sharp major, BWV882
8. Prelude No.14 in F sharp minor, BWV883
9. Fugue No.14 in F sharp minor, BWV883
10. Prelude No.15 in G major, BWV884
11. Fugue No.15 in G major, BWV884
12. Prelude No.16 in G minor, BWV885
13. Fugue No.16 in G minor, BWV885
14. Prelude No.17 in A flat major, BWV886
15. Fugue No.17 in A flat major, BWV886
16. Prelude No.18 in G sharp minor, BWV887
17. Fugue No.18 in G sharp minor, BWV887
18. Prelude No.19 in A major, BWV888
19. Fugue No.19 in A major, BWV888
20. Prelude No.20 in A minor, BWV889
21. Fugue No.20 in A minor, BWV889
22. Prelude No.21 in B flat major, BWV890
23. Fugue No.21 in B flat major, BWV890
24. Prelude No.22 in B flat minor, BWV891
25. Fugue No.22 in B flat minor, BWV891
26. Prelude No.23 in B major, BWV892
27. Fugue No.23 in B major, BWV892
28. Prelude No.24 in B minor, BWV893
29. Fugue No.24 in B minor, BWV893

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85924 in Music
• Released on: 1999-02-15

Customer Reviews

First and still best recording of The Well-Tempered Clavier
German superpianist Edwin Fischer made first complete recording of this work in 1930's. In my opinion, it's still truly best performance. Other excellent choices are Rosalyn Tureck's, Glenn Gould's and Andras Schiff's recordings. If one wants to listen legendary cembalo version of this work, excellent choice is Wanda Landowska's recording. Edwin Fischer's recording is magical. You can't stop listening to it. After you have heard the first prelude in C major, you have to listen the whole first book of preludes & fugues. And after that, you automatically start the second book. Fischer has very beautiful singing tone. While you listen, you can imagine yourself sitting in a huge church, where a beautiful soprano sings the melody, and a small chamber orchestra makes a great accompanist. Fischer also makes the dynamic differences and the so important thing in Bach, articulation, in natural places. The sound quality is very good, and EMI has managed to put this work in three CD's, each holding up to 80 minutes of this fantastic playing. And it's mid-price. Warmly recommended to every pianist, everyone who likes Bach, and everyone who wants to get to know his music and style. Mind-blowing performance!

Great old recording! Timeless! 4.5 stars
Great old recording, but it has a "78" sound to it. However, the playing is so full of life you almost feel as if you're hearing the piano sing, you get over the fact that it wasn't recorded with today's technology. I'd say Fischer's version of Bach's towering masterpiece belongs in the library of every Bach fan and, yes, every fan of Western art music. This man won me over only after 5 minutes. Wish I could have seen him live. I buy about 1 version of the WTC every year, like Gould, Tureck, Levin, and I still hold Fischer in high regard. Warmly recommended recording. (Not 5 stars because of the sound quality. 4.5 stars then.)

Timeless gold
This is not the EMI References release, but a Chinese-language offering with minimal documentation in English. Nevertheless, the production values seem to be on an acceptable level, and the transfer is quite fine. A word of caution, though: Monopoly has used the CEDAR process to eliminate -- to an excellent extent -- most of the surface noises; on the other hand (as is usual with this technique) the process has altered somewhat Fischer's tone and timbre. It is not a disastrous alteration, but noticeable when compared to the old LPs. But rest assured that the magnificence of Fischer's playing comes through hypnotically: he is to the keyboard what Furtwaengler is to the podium, and the unfailing concentration, the warm human wisdom, the powerful intuitive grasp of the music's architectonics -- all these qualities plus many more come through loud and clear. Along with the Busch Quartet's late Beethoven, and Furtwaengler's Bruckner, and Beecham's Mozart, this is "must-have" music-making for the ages.