Taking a break from overrated composers, unappreciated composers, how to define music and is there any point to it, and if there's any point in listening to Cage, I'll move on with two more preludes and fugues from Schepkin's WTC, Book I. Prelude in F-sharp - Many of the families on a fine Saturday afternoon are gathered at the bandstand for an afternoon of music and food. Serenity is the prevailing atmosphere of the day. The children are playing vigorously but feeling happy and content. Adults are sitting on their blankets, soaking up the Spring sun, and saturated with warmth. There's a playfulness in the music which Schepkin conveys beautifully. *4* Fugue in F-sharp - It's early evening, the concert is over, and Grandpa is relaxing on the veranda. The grandchildren have all come over, and Grandpa will get no rest. That's fine with him. He loves every one of them and is always glad to have their company. They ask him all kinds of questions and get him to play a few games with them. As the children leave for home, he feels a strong sense of continuity. This is what life is all about. Schepkin is superb. The sense of continuity, intimate interaction, and nostalgia is very strong. *4* Prelude in F-sharp minor - There's a prison break taking place - through the sewerage pipe, 4 miles of swamp, then 50 miles to the Gulf where a fishing boat is hopefully waiting. These five prisoners have spent months planning their escape and a temporary bond has been established among them. But, confidence is low as they make their way through the pipe; each one knows that they are proverbial losers and that things usually don't go their way. Schepkin does well in conveying the sense of bonding, danger, and panic. But, I would have preferred a more ominous aura. *3* Fugue in F-sharp minor - They've been lost in the swamp for four days. Food and drinking water are dangerously low. The have an assortment of injuries which renders their forward motion negligible. Hope is running out, and all of them are lying on the ground, all energy a past reflection. They never get up. This is dispiriting music, the "all is lost" type. And Schepkin gets it just right. *4* As you've probably noticed, I find many extremes of emotions in the WTC. They range from the heights of life fulfilled and shared to the absolute bottom of the barrel, physically and emotionally. Usually, when I hear these extremes in music, it's very upfront and over-the-top. Not with Bach. His subtlety, shading, and nobility does not allow for highly overt posturings. The listener has to dig deep into the music to reap the rewards, and the rate of return can be exponential. Don Satz [log in to unmask]