The Art of Fugue is Bach's last great work for a keyboard instrument. There is no other organ that is so closely related to the Art of Fugue as the organ of the Stadtkirche St. Wenzel zu Naumburg by Zacharias Hildebrandt. It embodies Bach's ideal type of organ and it was created almost simultaneously with the Art of Fugue.

“The Art of Fugue” is Bach’s final major work for a keyboard instrument, and more specifically for harpsichord or organ. Bach intends to issue the work in print. He is still able to prepare and supervise the engraving, but dies before it is complete. The final fugue is lacking its crowning conclusion. In this form, the work is published by Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emmanuel in print just one year after his father’s death. The title says it all: In “The Art of Fugue”, Bach delves into every conceivable aspect of contrapuntal artistry and inventiveness and presents the results in a well-planned architectural structure.

The new recording of this cycle was made on the magnificent baroque organ of the Wenzelskirche in Naumburg, built in 1746 by Zacharias Hildebrandt, which J.S. Bach himself was present at the acceptance of the organ.

Never before has this instrument been captured so convincingly in terms of sound, and for the first time the sound of the organ can now be enjoyed in a multi-channel surround recording (SACD-hybrid). The extremely comprehensive textbook contains exciting information on the work, which corresponds to the latest research, as well as a detailed text on the history of the instrument and its exemplary restoration.