Edwin Fischer's performances of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier may not be perfect -- there are far too many technical slips for that term to be strictly applicable -- but they may well be ideal. Recorded between 1933 and 1936 in faded but honest sound,
Fischer's performances have nothing extravagant about them or extraneous in them. One gets the music pure and straight with no additives. To some,
Fischer's articulation may at first seem odd as in the staccato arpeggios in the C major Prelude that opens Book One. But the seriousness of his attitude and the sincerity of his approach soon render such criticisms irrelevant.
Beyond these qualities, however, what truly distinguishes
Fischer's performances is the clarity of his thought and the lucidity of his interpretations. Here, even the gnarliest fugues, like the dense G sharp minor Fugue from Book Two, sound completely cogent and entirely logical, ideal terms to apply to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Though fans of historically informed performance practice may miss the sound of the harpsichord and fans of note-perfect performance practice may miss technically impeccable playing, fans of Bach have every reason to seek out these classic recordings.