Glenn Gould, Johann Sebastian Bach - The Glenn Gould Edition - Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: MusicNear.com

Music CD 1

The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-sharp
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-sharp
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude in E-flat minor and Fugue
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude in E-flat minor and Fugue
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E Major
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E Major
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in E mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in E mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F mino

Music CD 2

The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-shar
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-shar
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F-shar
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F-shar
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in G Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in G Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in G-shar
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in G-shar
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 19 in A Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 19 in A Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B-flat
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 23 in B Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 23 in B Majo
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B mino
The Well-Tempered Clavier (24), collection of preludes & fugues, Book I, BWV 846-869 (BC L80-103): Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B mino

Free Music Notes for The Glenn Gould Edition - Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I

Free Music Review: Gould's special interpretation WTC Book 1; Bk 2 even better
Hit: 5 Stars

Readers should know that I like Glenn Gould. His are not the only worthy interpretations of Bach, but they are indispensable if one is to get a broad and rounded picture of how this greatest of all composers is to be understood.

Gould learned Book One of the WTC from his mother. After he recorded it for Columbia (now Sony) he hardly ever played a selection from Book One again. On the other hand he made numerous recordings of various preludes and fugues from Book Two, both before and after his Columbia complete recording.

His interpretations are certainly unique. Comparing him with other great pianists you will find that he takes tempos that are slower or faster than more conventional versions. This drives some listeners crazy. For my taste I tend to prefer more individualistic performances, and therefore like Gould more than Schiff for example.

Other worthy interpretations of WTC are of course Edwin Fischer on EMI, Richter on Le Chant du Monde, and Schiff on Decca/London for comparison. Recordings of various individual preludes and fugues by Tureck are nearly always worthwhile.

The preludes and fugues of Book Two are a bit darker and more spiritual than those of Book One, and thus suited Gould's temperament more closely. But for beginners I will concede that it takes several listenings to fully get into the WTC, or "forty-eight", as they are also known. Still, like the Goldberg Variations and The Art of Fugue, they are more than worth the effort.

The Glenn Gould Edition - Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I