Hans Han – Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I

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Cost: $30.00
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Born in Shanghai and currently based in Vancouver, Canada, Hans has developed a deep and sustained engagement with Bach’s keyboard music from an early age. By the age of ten, Hans had completed both volumes of The Well-Tempered Clavier. At eleven, he completed the full performance and recording of all three of Bach’s monumental keyboard works: the two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier, The Goldberg Variations, and The Art of Fugue. His accomplishment reflects not only technical mastery but also a profound understanding of polyphonic language and artistic maturity.

Hans began his piano studies at the age of five, nurtured by a family that encouraged sensitivity to sound, imagery, and expression. From the beginning, he demonstrated a keen ear for counterpoint and a nuanced perception of timbre. Throughout his learning, he has remained drawn to the structural clarity and expressive depth of Bach’s music.

On December 15, 2025, at Vancouver’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Hans will present The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I in his solo recital. This performance follows five years of reflection and refinement since his initial recording of the work at age ten. For Hans, this collection is no longer merely a technical or a historical legacy—it has become a living experience of musical balance and resonance. Audiences will hear a young musician navigate the paths of Bach’s voices, find dialogue in counterpoint, and trace emotional contours across time.

PROGRAMME
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier – Book I (1722) BWV 846–869

No. 1: Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 846
No. 2: Prelude & Fugue in C minor, BWV 847
No. 3: Prelude & Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV 848
No. 4: Prelude & Fugue in C-sharp minor, BWV 849
No. 5: Prelude & Fugue in D major, BWV 850
No. 6: Prelude & Fugue in D minor, BWV 851
No. 7: Prelude & Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 852
No. 8: Prelude & Fugue in E-flat minor, BWV 853
No. 9: Prelude & Fugue in E major, BWV 854
No. 10: Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 855
No. 11: Prelude & Fugue in F major, BWV 856
No. 12: Prelude & Fugue in F minor, BWV 857

INTERVAL

No. 13: Prelude & Fugue in F-sharp major, BWV 858
No. 14: Prelude & Fugue in F-sharp minor, BWV 859
No. 15: Prelude & Fugue in G major, BWV 860
No. 16: Prelude & Fugue in G minor, BWV 861
No. 17: Prelude & Fugue in A-flat major, BWV 862
No. 18: Prelude & Fugue in G-sharp minor, BWV 863
No. 19: Prelude & Fugue in A major, BWV 864
No. 20: Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 865
No. 21: Prelude & Fugue in B-flat major, BWV 866
No. 22: Prelude & Fugue in B-flat minor, BWV 867
No. 23: Prelude & Fugue in B major, BWV 868
No. 24: Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV 869

Notes:
This performance will present the complete cycle of all 24 Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I by Johann Sebastian Bach.
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