Album

There's nothing at all wrong with Maurizio Pollini's 2009 performance of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1. The Italian pianist's intellectual lucidity, interpretive clarity, and technical virtuosity are apparent in every prelude and fugue, and his probing insights and penetrating analysis inform every note. However, there is almost nothing right with the sound quality of the recording. The piano sounds too distant, making it hard to hear precisely what Pollini is doing, but oddly, the ambient sound is too present, making every extraneous noise too loud. One should not hear the pedals being pressed and lifted, much less the clatter of the hammers and the twanging of the strings above the sound of the music. Worse yet, one can hear what sounds like every breath Pollini takes nearly as loudly as every note he plays. These are all grievous flaws that should have been eliminated, and their presence fatally undermines the brilliance of Pollini's performances. A reengineered version of these performances would be most welcome, but the present recording is so flawed that it virtually destroys Pollini's playing.

© Jim Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C, BWV846 Work 3:47 Maurizio Pollini Piano
1	1.Prelude	1:52			$0.49
2	2.Fugue	1:55			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.2 in C-, BWV847 Work 3:08 Maurizio Pollini Piano
3	1.Prelude	1:29			$0.49
4	2.Fugue	1:39			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.3 in C#, BWV848 Work 3:27 Maurizio Pollini Piano
5	1.Prelude	1:13			$0.49
6	2.Fugue	2:14			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.4 in C#-, BWV849 Work 7:29 Maurizio Pollini Piano
7	1.Prelude	2:42			$0.99
8	2.Fugue	4:47			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.5 in D, BWV850 Work 2:57 Maurizio Pollini Piano
9	1.Prelude	1:11			$0.49
10	2.Fugue	1:46			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.6 in D-, BWV851 Work 3:23 Maurizio Pollini Piano
11	1.Prelude	1:25			$0.49
12	2.Fugue	1:58			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.7 in Eb, BWV852 Work 5:35 Maurizio Pollini Piano
13	1.Prelude	3:57			$0.99
14	2.Fugue	1:38			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.8 in Eb-/D#-, BWV853 Work 9:21 Maurizio Pollini Piano
15	1.Prelude	3:23			$0.99
16	2.Fugue	5:58			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.9 in E, BWV854 Work 2:33 Maurizio Pollini Piano
17	1.Prelude	1:23			$0.49
18	2.Fugue	1:10			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.10 in E-, BWV855 Work 3:26 Maurizio Pollini Piano
19	1.Prelude	2:17			$0.99
20	2.Fugue	1:09			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.11 in F, BWV856 Work 2:07 Maurizio Pollini Piano
21	1.Prelude	0:54			$0.49
22	2.Fugue	1:13			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.12 in F-, BWV857 Work 5:57 Maurizio Pollini Piano
23	1.Prelude	2:01			$0.99
24	2.Fugue	3:56			$0.99
CD 2 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.13 in F#, BWV858 Work 3:06 Maurizio Pollini Piano
1	1.Prelude	1:15			$0.49
2	2.Fugue	1:51			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.14 in F#-, BWV859 Work 4:31 Maurizio Pollini Piano
3	1.Prelude	1:03			$0.49
4	2.Fugue	3:28			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.15 in G, BWV860 Work 3:47 Maurizio Pollini Piano
5	1.Prelude	0:56			$0.49
6	2.Fugue	2:51			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.16 in G-, BWV861 Work 4:18 Maurizio Pollini Piano
7	1.Prelude	1:59			$0.49
8	2.Fugue	2:19			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.17 in Ab, BWV862 Work 3:52 Maurizio Pollini Piano
9	1.Prelude	1:32			$0.49
10	2.Fugue	2:20			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.18 in G#-, BWV863 Work 4:09 Maurizio Pollini Piano
11	1.Prelude	1:33			$0.49
12	2.Fugue	2:36			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.19 in A, BWV864 Work 3:31 Maurizio Pollini Piano
13	1.Prelude	1:13			$0.49
14	2.Fugue	2:18			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.20 in A-, BWV865 Work 4:48 Maurizio Pollini Piano
15	1.Prelude	1:02			$0.49
16	2.Fugue	3:46			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.21 in Bb, BWV866 Work 2:42 Maurizio Pollini Piano
17	1.Prelude	1:10			$0.49
18	2.Fugue	1:32			$0.49
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.22 in Bb-, BWV867 Work 6:32 Maurizio Pollini Piano
19	1.Prelude	3:00			$0.99
20	2.Fugue	3:32			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.23 in B, BWV868 Work 3:24 Maurizio Pollini Piano
21	1.Prelude	1:19			$0.49
22	2.Fugue	2:05			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV846-869...Prelude and Fugue No.24 in B-, BWV869 Work 12:10 Maurizio Pollini Piano
23	1.Prelude	5:07			$0.99
24	2.Fugue	7:03			$1.49