J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 Masato Suzuki

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2:
• 1 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 870 02:24
• 2 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 870 01:53
• 3 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 871 03:24
• 4 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue in C Minor, BWV 871 01:52
• 5 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 872 02:01
• 6 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 872 01:50
• 7 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, BWV 873 03:03
• 8 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, BWV 873 02:22
• 9 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 5 in D Major, BWV 874 05:27
• 10 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 5 in D Major, BWV 874 02:23
• 11 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 875 01:47
• 12 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 875 01:53
• 13 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 7 in E-Flat Major, BWV 876 02:50
• 14 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 7 in E-Flat Major, BWV 876 02:00
• 15 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 8 in D-Sharp Minor, BWV 877 03:25
• 16 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 8 in D-Sharp Minor, BWV 877 02:36
• 17 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 9 in E Major, BWV 878 04:43
• 18 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 9 in E Major, BWV 878 02:28
• 19 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 10 in E Minor, BWV 979 05:00
• 20 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 10 in E Minor, BWV 979 02:56
• 21 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 11 in F Major, BWV 880 03:11
• 22 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 11 in F Major, BWV 880 01:44
• 23 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 881 04:41
• 24 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 881 02:08
• 25 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 13 in F-Sharp Major, BWV 882 03:24
• 26 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 13 in F-Sharp Major, BWV 882 02:42
• 27 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 14 in F-Sharp Minor, BWV 883 02:06
• 28 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 14 in F-Sharp Minor, BWV 883 03:42
• 29 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 15 in G Major, BWV 884 02:48
• 30 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 15 in G Major, BWV 884 01:19
• 31 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 16 in G Minor, BWV 885 02:24
• 32 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 16 in G Minor, BWV 885 03:01
• 33 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 17 in A-Flat Major, BWV 886 04:07
• 34 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 17 in A-Flat Major, BWV 886 02:27
• 35 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 18 in G-Flat Minor, BWV 887 04:23
• 36 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 18 in G-Flat Minor, BWV 887 03:36
• 37 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 19 in A Major, BWV 888 01:43
• 38 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 19 in A Major, BWV 888 01:38
• 39 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 20 in A Minor, BWV 889 05:03
• 40 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 20 in A Minor, BWV 889 01:45
• 41 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 21 in B-Flat Major, BWV 890 07:52
• 42 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 21 in B-Flat Major, BWV 890 02:11
• 43 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 22 in B-Flat Minor, BWV 891 02:39
• 44 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 22 in B-Flat Minor, BWV 891 04:20
• 45 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 23 in B Major, BWV 892 02:02
• 46 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 23 in B Major, BWV 892 03:33
• 47 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 24 in B Minor, BWV 893 02:24
• 48 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 24 in B Minor, BWV 893 01:56
• Total Runtime 02:21:06

Info for J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2

Following his recording of the first book of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier released last year (BIS-2621), which was praised as 'a pleasurable benchmark for anyone seeking a traversal that honours every detail of the music' (Gramophone), harpsichordist Masato Suzuki now offers us his interpretation of the second book of Bach's masterly cycle of preludes and fugues. No other works from the baroque period have been as cherished, performed and studied as these collections, the objectives of which were musical, theoretical and didactic. Like the first, the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier features a prelude and fugue in each of the 12 semitones of the chromatic scale, covering all of the 24 major and minor modes. Produced almost twenty years after the first book, this collection is a sort of follow-up. Though less frequently heard than it's predecessor, it nevertheless contains pieces of great beauty covering a wide stylistic range, and demonstrates a mastery of counterpoint that never outweighs emotion, beauty and aesthetics. Occupying a key position in Bach's output, the second book of the Well-Tempered Clavier points ahead to the major cycles of Bach's last years and presents 'sheer masterpieces from beginning to end', to quote Johann Nikolaus Forkel, the composer's first biographer.

Masato Suzuki, harpsichord

Masaaki Suzuki
Since founding Bach Collegium Japan in 1990, Masaaki Suzuki has established himself as a leading authority on the works of Bach. He has remained their Music Director ever since, taking them regularly to major venues and festivals in Europe and the USA and building up an outstanding reputation for the expressive refinement and truth of his performances. In addition to working with renowned period ensembles, such as Collegium Vocale Gent and Philharmonia Baroque, he is invited to conduct modern instrument orchestras in repertoire as diverse as Britten, Fauré, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Stravinsky. Last season saw his debut appearances with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Melbourne Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, while engagements for 2012/2013 include return visits to the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Verbier Festival and his debuts with the New York Philharmonic and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart.

Suzuki’s impressive discography on the BIS label, featuring Bach’s complete works for harpsichord and his interpretations of Bach’s major choral works and sacred cantatas with Bach Collegium Japan (of which he has already completed over fifty volumes of a project to record the complete series) have brought him many critical plaudits – the Times has written: “it would take an iron bar not to be moved by his crispness, sobriety and spiritual vigour”. In 2010, Suzuki and his ensemble were awarded both a German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) and a Diapason d’Or de l’Année for their recording of Bach motets, which was also honoured in 2011 with a BBC Music Magazine Award.

Highlights of last season with Bach Collegium Japan included a European tour incorporating concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Brussels Palais des Beaux-Arts and Paris Salle Pleyel amongst others, and culminating with a performance of the St Matthew Passion at the Thomaskirche, Leipzig where Suzuki was presented with the 2012 Leipzig Bach Prize. This season sees the group in residence at the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht and Bremen Musikfest.

Masaaki Suzuki combines his conducting career with his work as organist and harpsichordist. Born in Kobe, he graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music with a degree in composition and organ performance and went on to study harpsichord and organ at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam under Ton Koopman and Piet Kee. Founder and head of the early music department at the Tokyo University of the Arts, he is currently Visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at the Yale School of Music and Yale Institute of Sacred Music and the conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum.

Suzuki was decorated with ‘Das Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik’ from Germany in April 2001, Bremen Musikfest Award 2011, and Bach Medal 2012 by the city of Leipzig in June 2012.

Booklet for J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2