Being a major Bach fan and not having the long-term mind of Ian Crisp, I thought it might be interesting to get the list's opinion of the best Bach recording in 1999. I'll tally whatever results come in, and the only requirements are that the recording was issued around the 1999 time frame and that you say something (anything) as to why you consider your selection an excellent one. I think there have been many superb Bach recordings over the past year. Some that stand out are Schepkin's Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Ongaku), St. John Passion from Suzuki (BIS), one or two volumes of the cantatas from Koopman (Erato) and Suzuki (BIS), and Tureck's Goldberg Variations from DG. The above are all great, but I'm going with Angela Hewitt's WTC, Book 2 from Hyperion. As the years go by, Hewitt keeps maturing as an artist of great inspiration. I think she has hit a new peak with Book 2. She performed every prelude and fugue as if she had a direct connection to Bach's mind. The imagery within me has never been as strong as with her set. Recorded sound is excellent. Hewitt delivers the entire package. Get her Book 1 also and enjoy a great evening/night of some of the best music ever written. Don Satz [log in to unmask]