I evidently have not had my fill of Bach's WTC, Book 1, because I found myself last night heading for Horszowski's version on Vanguard. Right off, one major difference is the sound quality. The Vanguard was recorded in 1979-1980 and there is considerable hiss when listening with headphones. But, the performances are so fine that sound quality lessens in significance. I had said of Schepkin that he's a great "bad-news" pianist, but Horszowski is even better and darker. He places more emphasis on the bass notes and his part playing is exceptional. To my surprise, Schepkin is the more up-lifting pianist and displays a little more joy. Each of them has much to offer even a seasoned listener. And, each of them finds very different messages in many of the pieces. My wife has been a good sport about hearing Bach so much lately. He's definitely not her cup of tea: too dark and not entertaining enough. We're off now to see the movie "American Beauty". This is the type of movie I always enjoy; my wife's being a good sport about that too. But, I watched one of those up-lifting family films with her last night. Opposites can be a fine match. Don Satz [log in to unmask]