Search - Peter Watchorn :: J.S. Bach - Inventions & Sinfonias

A revealing performance

Baroque music lover | Phoenix, AZ, USA | 02/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the second of Peter Watchorn's CDs that display the resonances and other harmonic qualities of the keyboard tuning that many increasingly believe to be JSBach's preferred tuning for all keyboards, recently inferred by Bradley Lehman from the more-than-decorative scroll that intertwines the title of the first book of The Well-tempered Clavier, which was part of Bach's submission as a candidate for his job as Cantor in Leipzig. The subtle but distinct tonality of each key and the almost-non-existent dissonance within each work are a novelty not found in other period tunings or in the every-note-equally-out-of-tune equal temperament of most modern keyboard play. (Watchorn's liner notes discuss this tuning and its advantages.)



My one regret is that Watchorn did not include the four Duetti on this CD; it would be most revealing to hear those short 2-part works -- some of Bach's most strikingly experimental -- in this new tuning."