Bach, J S - The Well-tempered Consort - II - Phantasm

This is the second part of Phantasm's recording series dedicated to J. S. Bach's keyboard music. The first disc was selected as BBC Music Magazine's Chamber Orchestra of the Year and won Diapason's Prize de son d'exception award. This new album explores the riches of both volumes of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, arranged for viola consort by conductor Laurence Dreyfus. Reimagining Bach's keyboard polyphony as viola consort music offers two advantages: it expands Bach's chamber music output and presents these highly regarded works as seemingly new, unheard-of, and discoverable gems. Despite its pedagogical origins, Bach's musical imagination saturates the Well-Tempered Clavier with intellectually complex fugues and preludes brimming with dancing melodies. Phantasm offers a wealth of insights into these highly artistic works, revealing harmonies and colors that are both dynamically expressive and revealing.