CLASSIC FM, United Kingdom
BACH48 – George Lepauw, Orchid Classics
By the editors – February 17, 2020
Driven by his “desire to become a more complete musician, and a better human being”, Paris and Chicago-based pianist George Lepauw decided to take on Bach’s extensive catalogue of preludes and fugues. Before beginning his work, Lepauw wanted to feel a closer connection to the composer – so he travelled to Bach’s birthplace, Eisenach, and all the way to his grave in Leipzig. Just six months after his initial trip, Lepauw returned to Germany to record the album, purposefully capturing his performances in Weimar’s Jakobskirche – a church which was very familiar to Bach.
His recordings of Bach’s forty-eight pairs of preludes and fugues are showcased across five CDs filled with exceptional recordings.