A recording of J.S. Bach's 'Preludie in C' played by Neil Balfour.

When J.S. Bach began working on his epic Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, chances are he wasn't thinking that it would become one of the defining musical texts in keyboard history. But, somehow, it has - and the Prelude No. 1 in C Major is where it all starts.

The Well-Tempered Clavier (there are two volumes of it, each containing a prelude and a fugue in each musical key) kicks off in C Major, the most 'natural' musical key, so he obviously made sure that the first entry is a good one. Few pieces of keyboard music sound so delicate and fragile, but there's a very Bach-ian stability to it as well. 

It's a strikingly simple piece to begin with, gently phasing through different chords and registers, but it's one of those pieces that demands to be tinkered with. Consequently, you'll hear plenty of different interpretations of this much-loved work.

Prelude No. 1 In C Major | Bach

09 - Tomaso Albinoni - Concerto a 5 Op.9,8 g for Oboe 3 Allegro

The last movement of Beethoven's immortal 30th piano sonata (played by me).

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 30 In E Major, Op. 109  final movement

My take on Chopin's saddest little prelude.  Two and a half minutes of ache.


Chopin Prelude No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 28

Hugh Wolff leads the New England Conservatory Philharmonia in a performance of Beethoven's Egmont Overture. Recorded live in Symphony Hall, Boston April 23, 2014.

Beethoven: Overture to Egmont, op. 84

Johann Strauss Jr. - Voices of Spring
The Miami Symphony Orchestra
Eduardo Marturet - Conductor

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts - Knight Concert Hall
January 21, 2012

© 2012 Miami Symphony Orchestra. All rights reserved.

Johann Strauss Jr. - Voices of Spring

Mendelssohn Four Pieces For String Quartet Op. 81

Artea String Quartet
Thomas Gould, violin I
Rhys Watkins, violin II
Benjamin Roskams, viola
Ashok Klouda, cello

Champs Hill Records, 2014

03 Four Pieces For String Quartet Op. 81  III. Capriccio In E Minor, MVW. R 32

Chopin: Waltz in C#minor op.64 no.2

James Blunt - You're Beautiful, lovely piano

More on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6hcKt7-h4k

Chopin – Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1

Frederic Chopin -Fantaisie Impromptu

Recordings of my performances on piano. All recordings licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Please refer to my page when distributing.


Chopin – Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1

reminiscience