Finnish harpsichordist Aapo Häkkinen plays Book I of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier on the Christian Vater harpsichord preserved in Nuremberg and on an equally historic clavichord - according to tradition, Bach was particularly fond of this instrument! Two of the 24 pairs of Preludes and Fugues are presented in an alternative instrumentation on the historic North German organ of Backemoor.

Connoisseurs will recognize the cover design as corresponding to the original title page: the 12 handwritten squiggles are interpreted by some musicologists as Bach’s instructions on how to tune the instruments - the appropriate temperament, which gives the work its title, was controversial then as it is today. This topic, too, is explored in depth in the accompanying essay by Wolfgnag Kostujak.

Aapo Häkkinen, not least through his acclaimed AEOLUS recordings of Bach’s harpsichord concertos, has earned an international reputation, and he is in demand worldwide not only as a keyboard player but also as a conductor.