Das wohltemperierte klavier andras schiff biography

The two books of preludes and fugues that make up Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier – one complementary pair in every key of the chromatic scale twice over, 48 in total – is one of the greatest achievements in the keyboard repertory.

Debate still rages about exactly which instrument, or instruments, Bach intended them to be played on – clavichord, harpsichord, organ, possibly even an early prototype piano.

But one thing is certain: the composer could never have imagined these quintessentially Baroque works on a modern concert grand.

Yet, for at least a century, Bach's 48 has been the Everest which all great pianists aspire to climb, and many have done so with utterly convincing and profoundly eloquent results.

One such is Hungary-born British pianist András Schiff, whose previous recording of The Well-Tempered Clavier for Decca in the 1980s won many