Filippo Gorini plays The Art of Fugue

Synopsis

There is no doubt that Filippo Gorini is one of the great thinkers of our time, and his performance of Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue) is not just a release: it is a whole project. Bach’s unfinished masterpiece (BWV 1080) is of unspecified instrumentation, and there are many differ ent attempts to realise it. It dates from Bach’s last decade, and comprises 14 Fugues and four Canons; the final Fugue, incomplete, is left hanging in the air, unforgettably. Gorini has spoken about letting that ending surprise him every time, even in the recording studio. Such a compositional explora tion was unparalleled at the time. Bach’s writing in this piec is the absolute distillation of his contrapuntal thinking. Not a single note is wasted; the piece requires supreme concentra tion from its performer. Gorini is fascinated by the dialogue between the voices in contrapuntal music, a fascination that shines through every note. The performance is peaceful, and extremely profound; what Gorini himself refers to as a “time less beauty”.

Additional Info

• No: A055516340000
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Production year: 2022
• Run time: 01:45:00
• Director: Benedict Mirow
• Producers: Ludwigsburg Festival, UNITEL
• Format: 4K