Recorded in 1957 by German Radio, before the 1963 complete recording for Archiv Produktion, this First Book of the Well-Tempered Clavier, played by Ralph Kirkpatrick, represents one of the most important landmarks on the long path towards the historically-accurate performances which we know today, and which will perhaps be seen as out-of-date tomorrow. American harpsichord player Ralph Kirkpatrick was a part of the generation that immediately followed Wanda Landowska, with whom he studied in Paris – also taking lessons from Nadia Boulanger. He gave over a good portion of his life to Domenico Scarlatti, whose works he would record, publishing a critical edition of his sonatas using a numbering system which now bears his name. We are also indebted to him for the complete recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's works for harpsichord. In the 1950s, Ralph Kirkpatrick used harpsichords from the German manufacturer Neupert, which, with their metal frame, solid construction and their fine sound, had little in common with the ancient instruments. Today, it's Kirkpatrick's technical genius which we can admire, as well as his strict observance of repetitions and concern for ornamentation, dexterity, phrasing and tempo. © François Hudry/Qobuz