Composer and pianist Sam Post and pianist Ralitza Patcheva performed selections from their newly released album The Well-“Tampered” Clavier on Saturday evening, October 18, at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Glen Echo. The concert celebrated the release of their reimagined version of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, which keeps Bach’s original notes intact while transforming the music through fresh rhythmic interpretations. The recording, released Friday on the ACIS label, reimagines all 24 pairs of preludes and fugues from Bach’s first book.
Post said the project originated from his own compositions five years ago that borrowed Bach’s style but incorporated syncopation and contemporary rhythmic ideas. “I wrote a fair amount of music that was very Bach-like, except in the rhythm, which had a lot of syncopation and had more of a modern feel,” he said. The experiment evolved a year later when he began to alter Bach’s actual compositions. “I thought, ‘What if I just change the rhythm in his music?’” Post said. Improvising rhythmic changes during repeats eventually led to a full-scale reinterpretation of the Well-Tempered Clavier to mark its 300th anniversary.
Originally, Post planned for each pianist to record 12 pieces—Patcheva performing the original Bach and Post playing his altered versions. “But then Ralitza heard me play, and she said, ‘No, no, I want to play your version,’” Post recalled. The pair decided that Post would reimagine the entire set, with Patcheva recording half of them. They completed the project in 2021 and released it this year.
Both musicians teach at the Levine School of Music and studied under the late Irena Orlov. Patcheva, who has known Post since his student days, said performing his rhythmic reinterpretations reshaped her understanding of classical timing. “He had completely changed the character of this piece, and it just made me realize the potential of his idea very strongly,” she said of hearing his D major Prelude and Fugue. “The kind of rhythmic variations that Sam brings to the music made me really start questioning timing in pretty much all classical music that we play.”
Post emphasized that successfully “tampering” with Bach requires deep familiarity with the originals. “In order to do something like this, one has to have a deep and intimate knowledge of the music in its original form,” he said. “It’s all about doing it with the right knowledge and humility, while having that sense of playfulness and creativity.”
The album’s title nods to Bach’s own revolutionary concept of composing in every key. “When Bach composed it and named it that, he was making a statement in support of a scientific theory at the time, which said that music can be written in all keys,” Patcheva explained. “So Sam is saying your scope of rhythmic possibility can widen.”
Post said Patcheva’s interpretations often surprise him. “Often I bring a piece to Ralitza, and she plays it in a way that I never imagined. It always widens my awareness and my scope of what is possible,” he said. That collaborative spirit led them to share the recording equally—Post as composer-pianist, Patcheva as pianist-interpreter.
The album was recorded at the Levine School of Music with engineer Vasily Popov and released by the ACIS label, led by Geoffrey Silver, former music director at the Church of the Redeemer. The CD features photography by Val Proudkii and extensive program notes explaining the concept.
Saturday’s performance at the Glen Echo church featured 12 of the 24 reworked preludes and fugues, followed by a reception. Tickets were $20, with free admission for children. The Well-“Tampered” Clavier is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and through the ACIS label.
