Prelude and Fugue in C major BWV 545

Youthful and exuberant, Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C major BWV 545 is most likely an early work from his time in Mühlhausen. Well-crafted and assured, the piece is an apt demonstration of the young Bach’s confidence. Its history is rather complex, appearing in another form in B flat but also in versions with two different slow movements inserted between the prelude and fugue. Played without these interloping slow movements, the majestic prelude and cantabile fugue both display the conciseness and masterful writing which is so evident in so much of Bach's music.

Although not an historic instrument, the 2007 Tomaš Močnik organ of the Church of St Mary of the Annunciation (Velesovo Monastery) is very much inspired by the work of the great Thuringian organ builders such as Zacharias Hildebrandt. It is thus well suited to the music of Bach with its mild tone yet firm gravitas.