Twenty four pianists will perform J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II.

Taka Kigawa will play No. 24, Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 893

Admission: $20, all at the door. Children free.

PIANISTS
Yegor Shevtsov
David Holzman,
Phyllis Chen
Nurit Tilles
Blair McMillen
Karl Larson
Tony deMare
Joan Forsyth
Lisa Moore
Melinda Faylor
Nicolas Pavkovic
Frederic Chiu
Adam Tendler
Sandra Sprecher
Joe Kubera
Eleonor Sandresky
Nnenna Ogwo
Cheryl Seltzer
Hitomi Honda
Cristina Altamura
Mayuko Yamashita
Adam Marks
Peggy Kampmeier
Taka Kigawa

Following a cramped but magical 2015 performance in Lower East Side’s Spectrum loft-space with 24 of the city's leading new music pianists performing Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book One, each taking a key, the group reconvenes to present Book II, Bach's sequel from twenty years later, at Columbia University’s Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America.

The two-dozen pianists include some of the city’s most recognized pioneers in contemporary music. Each will play one of the twenty-four sets of preludes and fugues. Through this diverse prism of expression, Bach the composer emerges as a contemporary presence, experimenting and taking chances just as any composer would today.

Bach composed the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 some twenty years after the landmark first book appeared, and eight years before his death. It too encompasses 24 preludes and fugues in every major and minor key, though to this day remains the lesser played of the two. Some might argue this owes to the longer length of its movements, or a more severe and demanding harmonic and technical language for performer and listener alike. In our event, listeners can experience this seldom-performed cornerstone of classical music beginning-to-end from pianists widely celebrated for their work in contemporary music, bringing absolute commitment and total freedom to the material. The Italian Academy provides a safe space for these artists to perform out of their comfort zones and for their audience to witness a rare and remarkable musical happening.

24 Pianists | The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II is made possible in part with the public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.