French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s solo debut recording for Deutsche Gramophon is also his first recording of the music of J.S. Bach. Aimard is best known for having specialised in interpreting and recording music of contemporary composers, in particular Ligeti and Messiaen. Here Aimard scales the summit of the great eighteenth-century composer’s masterpiece, The Art of the Fugue. Through his staggering technique, Aimard is able to render the counterpoint of this music in all its richness and clarity. But there is more to Aimard’s playing than technique, as he also brings out the character, life and expression of each piece, revealing the subtleties and different levels of Bach’s music.