Bach: The Well​-​Tempered Clavier (Books One and Two)

Michael Houstoun has been among the most acclaimed and respected pianists for over 50 years. After working abroad for some years, he returned to New Zealand in 1981 to build an impressive career from his Manawatū home with a large repertoire that stretches from J.S. Bach to the present day. He is a strong and enthusiastic advocate of contemporary New Zealand music, regularly recording and performing works by local composers.

The music of Bach is a major cornerstone for Michael. As he says, "For a pianist like myself, someone for whom music virtually begins with Johann Sebastian Bach, he provides a series of bottom lines of incalculable value everywhere and always. For the musician who wants to learn about melody, musical pulsation, polyphony and its harmonic implications, Bach is the greatest teacher. For me, Bach's music is of the utmost humanity, and its consolations are without limit. Even in the chromatic depths of a minor key fugue, despair is held at bay. Such indomitability is inspiring, and even learning one prelude and fugue can give us a never-to-be-forgotten taste."