Rediscovered Bach for the New Year and New Humanity

If you know anything about classical music, you must have heard of and to the Well-Tempered Clavier, two sets (Volume 1 and 2) of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. The collection is generally regarded as one of the most fundamental and important works in the history of European classical music.

Bach finished Volume 1 of WTC in 1722 and described it as composed "for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study." Some 2o years later, he composed Volume 2. In modern times, WTC has been used as as both the learning guide and virtuoso performance by everyone who ever attempted to learn how to play the piano. You surely will enjoy Volume 1 performance by Sviatoslav Richter, a Soviet classical pianist of the 20th century regarded to be one of the greatest virtuosos of all time, admired for his depth of interpretation of classical pieces and his vast repertoire. I have played it many times for background when I needed to concentrate on my research or writing.

No one, however, has ever performed WTC the way Andrei Gavrilov, another brilliant Russian pianist currently living in Switzerland, performed it on the last day of the fateful year 2022. He made sure to perform it on Dec.31 2022, for the WTC 300-year anniversary, and to mark the start of a new, hopefully better year 2023. Gavrilov spent grueling two years of tirelessly working on and polishing his performance, achieving a "new physiology of a new virtuoso." He states that he is still finding a lot of room for improvement and feels how his own execution becomes better every time he plays the WTC. Gavrilov focuses on the second part of Bach's original intent for the collection, "for the pastime of those already skilled in this study" and takes it to the level of authenticity and "mathematical, algorithmic performance" that Bach meant for the highly learned in the art of playing piano.

In its virtuosity, Gavrilov's performance is so above and beyond any other WTC masterful interpretation, so seemingly effortless and flowing that you sometimes forget that it is human hands striking those piano keys. In the introduction to the video in Russian, Gavrilov says it is intentional, as he managed to crack Bach's musical algorithm. Gavrilov's face during the performance is showing little emotion and a lot of concentration and deep maturity. As Gavrilov mused about emotions and Bach on his Facebook page, he is feeling a different kind of emotion while playing, "Drive all the fools to hell, who perform Bach with 'feelings,' 'hidden senses,' 'colors' or pretentiously 'meaningful.' They all are real idiots. Bach is not 'mechanical,' as well, as many might think, listening to the performance of WTC. Bach is smart, spiritually, intellectually smarter and cleaner than all people who have lived in music so far."

Gavrilov's performance is incredibly fast, performed at the speed he claims Bach meant for the true virtuosos who play at the level where their mastery becomes divine. If you compare Richter's WTC Vol.1 two-hour performance to Gavrilov's, the difference in speed and tempo literally translates into time: Gavrilov's concert is almost two times shorter. None of the pieces are skipped, every prelude and fugue is included, so it is indeed the difference in speed. I highly recommend opening both concerts in two different windows and playing each piece from Richter's and Gavrilov's concerts in turns and juxtaposition to each other. I'm sure you will enjoy figuring out the differences betweet the two virtuosos. Gavrilov is so fast that sometimes it might seem that the pianist is making mistakes. However, those are not mistakes, that is the achievement of Bach's desired polyphony that would pull your heart's strings and make you feel closer to the source of Creation, divinity itself.

In the introduction to the performance, Gavrilov says in Russian that Bach meant for the TWC to achieve divine harmony not only in the pianist but also in the listener. Bach's music will make you a better human by "tuning" you into the plane of divinity, improving your spiritual and mental, cognitive capabilities: "It will take us into a totally different musical cosmos that starts working with us as some sort of divine force. It tunes us to perfection, it entertains us, it makes us balanced, and overall makes us deeper and smarter people." With Bach's WTC performed by a master, we quite literally transport ourselves into a musical paradise. I hope Gavrilov's performance will take you there as well. If you don't speak Russian, fast forward to 19:03 after he finishes laying out his vision for the new musically savvy humans in his introductory remarks.

If you find this performance remarkable and would like to support Gavrilov's music education project titled Unzipped Classical Music, the video description has three different links in blue that will give you this opportunity. You can also do it on his website, AndreiGavrilov.com. I am sure he will appreciate your support. Also, Gavrilov's Facebook page is worth a follow as he informs his fans about his new works and shares his nuggets of wisdom about the role of classical music.

Finally, a personal disclaimer: I do not claim to be a music critic or expert of any kind. In fact, my relationship with classical music is quite special as I listen to a lot of it and enjoy it immensely but I don't even know how to read sheet music or keys. I listen to it with my heart and mind and always feel that it does take me to another reality, another level of existence.