QUIET PLEASE! RECORDING!

A return to Berlin took place in January in two senses: around 10 years ago, Pierre-Laurent Aimard recorded the first volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier and now he has returned to the German capital for the recording of the second volume.
This time, the acclaimed pianist chose the famous Teldex Studio as the recording location – some 25 years after his last recording there. And once again, the ‘piano duo Op. 615313’ proved to be his faithful companion through 24 preludes and fugues.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, ‘solitary among the top pianists’ [Frankfurter Rundschau], would not create a monochrome and monospace for Bach's journey through 24 keys and 24 preludes and fugues. Rather, each piece should not only have its own musical structure, but also its own sonic identity and spatial dimension.

And it is precisely here that it becomes clear why Pierre-Laurent Aimard chose the ‘615313’ for this recording: its enormous tonal flexibility and spatial versatility are the great strengths of this exceptional instrument. The grand piano was able to produce practically every imaginable sound under the master pianist's variable touch – practically without major manipulation of the piano technique and without technical recording manipulation.

Rather, the recording hall at Teldex Studios proved to be a versatile helper and congenial partner: Depending on where the ‘615313’ was positioned, the pianist and our grand piano were able to create completely different sounds, and the recording team, with recording producer Christoph Claßen and sound engineer Sebastian Nattkemper, were able to capture their sounds with the greatest plasticity and authenticity using a variety of different microphones in different positions.