Not to be overlooked amid the spate of excellent recordings issued last year is this new version of the first book of Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” by Till Fellner. Rather than try to turn the piano into a fake harpsichord, the Austrian pianist plays these 24 preludes and fugues with a musicianly honesty that makes them sound as if Bach conceived them for the modern concert grand piano. Plenty of great pianists have recorded the “WTC,” including Edwin Fischer, Glenn Gould, Rosalyn Tureck and Sviatoslav Richter. But their versions often told more about them than about Bach. With Fellner there are no quirks, no self-indulgence, no forays into glibness. His rhythmic vitality and knack for choosing the right tempos bring out the individuality of each piece, infusing them with warmth and humanity.
