J. S. Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV1080

Since Bach was more than cryptic in indicating the instrumentation of what is often regarded as his musical testament, The Art of Fugue has been subjected to an infinite variety of arrangements for all sorts of instruments. This recording follows a series of performances in which the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin tested a highly unusual concept: rather than play uniformly one after the other the contrapuncti and canons that Bach left us, they have made great efforts to diversify both the instrumentarium and the macrostructure – to the point where we end up, to our delight, experiencing their interpretation as an exciting musical game for several players!

Beautifully conceived and executed: superb clarity, attention to detail and absolute conviction. More fun, too, than plain keyboard versions. — Classic FM Magazine, April 2011