Notated on four staves, as though intended for some unspecified set of instruments (or even voices? or keyboard?), these thirteen erudite contrapuncti, four canons, and an unfinished triple fugue—incorporating the letters of Bach’s name—are often considered to be his musical testament. Shrouded in myths traceable to its very origins, The Art of Fugue is a puzzle for the performers and for the listeners alike, but when a brilliant string quartet takes up the challenge, a solution becomes obvious, and the music takes flight.
Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080
L’Art de la fugue / The Art of Fugue· Contrapunctus I, a 4 (3'02)
· Contrapunctus II, a 4 (2'52)
· Contrapunctus III, a 4 (2'29)
· Contrapunctus IV, a 4 (3'05)
· Contrapunctus V, a 4 (2'40)
· Contrapunctus VI, a 4 in stilo francese (3'26)
· Contrapunctus VII, a 4 per augmentationem et diminutionem (3'25)
· Contrapunctus VIII, a 3 (5'21)
· Contrapunctus IX, a 4 alla duodecima (2'20)
· Contrapunctus X, a 4 alla decima (3'21)
· Contrapunctus XI, a 4 (5'15)
· Contrapunctus XII, a 4 (2'02)
· Contrapunctus XIII, a 3 (2'11)
· Canon per augmentationem in contrario motu (4'43)
· Canon alla ottava (2'25)
· Canon alla decima in contrapunto alla terza (4'24)
· Canon alla duodecima in contrapunto alla quinta (2'25)
· Contrapunctus XIV, a 4 Fuga a tre soggetti (9'17)
· Chorale Vor deinen Thron tret' ich BWV 668 (extr. 18 Chorale Preludes, BWV 651-668) (3'32)
