Bach’s two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 keys, The Well-Tempered Clavier—are a rite of passage for pianists. Angela Hewitt makes them sound like a pleasure. While there’s not a whiff of educational or technical process here, Hewitt does use every expressive device available to clarify and explain Bach’s tireless imagination in the fugues. Her mission in the preludes is one of contrast, celebrating their vividly differing personalities. There’s no empty, self-conscious striving for profundity or spurious spirituality here; overall, it is the unmannered elegance of Hewitt’s playing which draws us in. Without ever overstating her case, she reveals more of the music’s many layers than many other interpreters, who often superimpose their own personalities. Hewitt is a natural performer, and this impressive studio recording exudes the atmosphere of her captivating live concerts.