In a short introductory set of notes to this album, the Québecois organist Lagacé claims that Bach's title for this set of preludes and fugues, erroneously translated into English as 'The Well-Tempered Clavichord,' actually indicated the composer's intention that the work be fitted to any of the keyboard instruments in use in his time, and not just to the harpsichord, which has been used on most recordings. This, Lagacé's performance of Book I of the WTC, on the Beckerath organ of the Église Immaculée-Conception in Montréal, may serve as a bit of a surprise, as well as a revelation of the organ's particular showcase of the work's tonal structures and dynamics. Listeners are also reminded of the variety of Bach's expression, from passages of tranquility and reverence to monuments of Baroque majesty. Lagacé meets the master's requirements of disciplined attack as well as sensitivity and occasional liveliness.
