Mar 21, 2020
Another astonishing recording of Bach’s magnum opus, The Art of the Fugue. In this work, Bach took a simple theme in D Minor and expanded it to supreme intellectual and even spiritual heights (listen to the mournful Contrapunctus 14). Even though CPE Bach brought some romanticism to the abrupt ending of this work (claiming Bach had died before he could complete the last fugue), we still get the sense of an aging, ill composer struggling to complete his life’s work, a testament of his method and musical thoughts for the generations to come. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields uses a variety of instruments, from the violin to the oboe, from the harpsichord to the organ, bringing this astonishing work to life.
