And so it was time today to redo the F major pairs from both books. Recorded with the new Tascam DR-2, and considerably slower (or rather, less manically fast ) I think these are much better than the previous versions from 2006 and 2007.

Bach - BWV 856 - Das Wolhtemperierte Clavier I - Prelude and Fugue No.11 in F major (3:47)
Bach - BWV 880 - Das Wolhtemperierte Clavier II - Prelude and Fugue No.11 in F major (6:08)

To BWV 856:
prelude: really very nicely played, all seems perfectly and very musically to me.
fugue: a very nice interpretation, Chris. I have enjoyed your version very much!
I couldn´t discover any wrong note respective read error, neither in the prelude nor in the fugue, Chris, bravo!

To BWV 880:

prelude: bravo, also a very nice and musical interpretation for my taste.
fugue: very good, the voicing could a bit more here and there, but I like the tempo and fresh and lively manner you play it.

IMO you have done some very good jobs here. Bravo! I also think, the sound-quality has improved with your new machine.

I´m motivated to practise now also on f-major, BWV 880, may be I will give priority to it before I record the two Songs Without Words I told you of. Tomorrow in the morning I will tune my grand again and I have to try to delete some rattling, which I discovered last time, when I was practising Mendelssohns op. 53, 6. I think, I will have to pull out the mechanique and tighten some screws. I still know that problem. So, I will have some 2 or 3 hours "work of a technician" tomorrow, but fortunately I have finished the corrections of the papers now.

At the end of january 2011 I will go to Leipzig with my "Musikleistungskurs" and I will visit the Bach-Museum, Thomaskirche, Schumann-Haus, Mendelssohn-Haus etc. I´m still looking forward very much to it.

Have nice Christmas!

Thanks for the comments Andreas. That would be a first time that you don't make me re-record a Bach pair. A historical day indeed

Ah, Bach museum and Thomas Kirche... you lucky bastard. I am green with envy. Take lots of photos !
I don't think there is anything personal left of him though. One would love to see his wig, coat, pipe, inkpot, anything at all. But there's nothing, not even his skull and bones (they dug up some but have no shred of evidence they are his). This is really sad when you think about it. The greatest of all musical minds, disappeared in thin air. Except for his manuscripts - and not even all of those.

Techneut wrote:


Yes, I think, concerning that I´m really a lucky dog. Of course, I will try to make as much photos as possible (I only fear, in many museums it´s forbidden to make photos, so I will have to see). I´m planing our excursion these days and even the planing is a great pleasure! All acitivities have to be coordinated very well and I will have to make a schedule.



Well, I don´t know, if there isn´t any of his personal things, I will see. If I find his pipe, I will smoke it, and see, if I can compose a fugue after it, which has the same quality as his ones. Seriously, I think, there is left much of our great composers: the music (of course, you are right, that some manuscripts are lost). For me that´s the main thing. But, who knows, if I will watch into the hollow eyes of Bachs skull, I will play his music better after this. (And if not, I will take this as a proof, that this skull is not his own. )