Cédric Pescia, a Swiss and French national, won first prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in 2002 and performs globally.
Composition History
The First Book of The Well-Tempered Clavier was composed by Bach for his students and sons, demonstrating his commitment to teaching and transmission.
Instruments
The recording was made on a Steinway D piano from the 1980s, regularly used by András Schiff, and was tuned in unequal temperament to evoke the distinct character of each key from Bach's time.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach's music is unique because it combines formal perfection with deeply human sentiments, making it unthinkable to change even a single note of The Well-Tempered Clavier.
Interpretation
Pianist Cédric Pescia recorded this album without a score, allowing him to interpret the music with complete freedom, though he uses a score for live concerts.
Compositional Technique
Bach's writing is fundamentally based on vocality and dance, developing the art of vocal music in various forms and relating many preludes and fugues to dance forms of his era.
Composer Biography
Bach's biography reveals very little about his daily life, making it difficult to link his cheerful pieces, like the Brandenburg Concertos, to happy moments in his life.
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