Maurizio Pollini, piano

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Klavier Book I

One of the most important artists of the last half century, Maurizio Pollini opens his series of five recitals in Royal Festival Hall presenting seminal piano music from Bach to Modernism with a work that he has not performed before in London - the complete first book of Bach's Preludes and Fugues. Bach's imaginative preludes, rich in harmonic and textural exploration are perfect curtain-raisers to the virtuosic writing of the fugues. It is often said that Bach enjoyed composing fugues much in the way the rest of us enjoy crossword puzzles, but playing them is another matter. For any pianist these pieces, with their fascinating intricacy and their contrasts of colour and mood, provide one of the most rewarding musical challenges.

Young Persons' Platform tickets for just £7 are available for those aged between 15 and 25. Please note, these are only available by phoning the Ticket Office on 0844 875 0073.