Prelude & Fugue No. 21 in B-Flat Major

On the page, Bach’s swirling notes for the Prelude are wayward and tightly packed. It all looks very exciting, and has drawn in countless players on visual appeal alone. Technically, Bach poses two main challenges to the player. The first half of the piece is all about the rapid repetition of notes, involving the two hands often in close proximity—evenness and a sense of direction are the goals. Then the style changes abruptly and the second half of the piece is all about improvisation—Bach offering an inspiring model. Huge dramatic chords are followed by filigree fall-out in ascending and descending phrases, where the goal is to sound fluid and spontaneous, and perhaps even witty at the very end. After this the three-part Fugue sounds a bit well-behaved, though its main theme is animated and almost jaunty, belying the finger power and expertise needed to bring out the melody loudly every time it appears.