Bach’s Complete Well-Tempered Clavier
Piano Recital by Stephen Hung

The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) can be seen as a representation of the ups and downs we all experience in life due to the way it alternates between major and minor pieces. Our concert series invites to a walk with Bach through his joys and sorrows, and to reflect upon our own happiness and misfortune.

But why should we walk with Bach? Bach’s music speaks with a calming tone that can help one be in touch with our extreme emotions without allowing them to take over. This is quite different to Beethoven—the hero who calls us to arms and inspires us to fight on, whose 250th birthday we celebrated in 2020. Sometimes we need a respite from those heroic struggles. The two books of the WTC are separated by twenty years, and listening to both of them can reveal how Bach himself moved on from being an impassioned young man to a wise master.

 

 

Pianist

Stephen Hung graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London. Apart from his studies in piano, he also received training on the harpsichord and organ. He is especially drawn to the music of J. S. Bach and previous performances include the complete 2-part and 3-part inventions, Book 2 of the WTC, and a number of Jukebox concerts.