Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 (MacGregor)

For lyricism, warmth, and narrative intelligence I don’t think this recording of The Art of Fugue has been bettered. MacGregor’s concern is always to make each piece uplifting in its own way, and to give each its distinct character: C.1 and are taken at tempi which make them sing, C.4 is given lots of intimate articulative touches, and the stretti in C.5, usually dramatic, enter with a sense of quiet repose, making the piece luminously mysterious. C.2 and C.6 – the two dotted-rhythm fugues – swing away