“Sensational”

“As the elements of melodic line, harmonic construction and rhythmic invetion are unfurled and unfettered, the “Tampered” vs Tempered” title makes its charm even clearer…Post’s and Patcheva’s quirky and clever interpretation joins the annals of great recordings - Glen Gould’s and Friedrich Gulda’s to cite a couple…Post and Patcheva exploit the full range of the piano’s sonorities.”

Raul da Cama, theWholeNote

“The rhythmic shifts and disguises result in an altogether interesting interpretation. Anyone who is familiar with Bach’s original work and is open to such an undertaking will smile and sometimes be amazed at the very fresh music-making.

The manipulations are imaginative and varied.”

Remy Franck, Pizzicato

Purchase CD

Buy CD

Digital Downloads

$18.00

$26.00

$32.00

Streaming

Apple High Res Lossless

Amazon Ultra HD

Spotify

TIDAL Max

"I have been jumping up and down with delight about the “Well-Tampered” Bach. ...this approach gives a spice to the music that more normal interpretations lack. Sam Post’s fun with rhythm does bring to mind the Swingle Singers and Jacques Loussier ‘jazzy’ interpretations of Bach, but it all proves again how resourceful was old JSB as a composer and how resilient and responsive is his music to almost any approach."

Michael Barone, presenter of Pipedreams, American Public Media

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Acis (@acisproductions)

“Tampering” as Tradition: In the Baroque era, improvising, ornamenting, and reshaping a composer’s original work was standard practice—much like jazz musicians do today. Post and Patcheva lean into that legacy, freely applying rhythmic variation without feeling constrained by the printed page.

The Well-”Tampered” Clavier Book 1
J. S. Bach, arr. Sam Post

Performed by Sam Post and Ralitza Patcheva
Album Release: October 17, 2025

Release Concert 10/18

Album Details
Title: The Well-“Tampered” Clavier
Label: Acis
Composer: J.S. Bach, arranged Sam Post
Artists: Sam Post and Ralitza Patcheva

CAT #: APL53516
UPC: 198004453516 (CD)
UPC: 198937603927 (DIGITAL)
Total Time Side 1: 52:49
Total Time Side 2: 50:20

Recording Venue: Lang Hall, Levine Music, Washington D.C.
Recording Dates: March and June 2022, February 2023

Track List

ARTIST: Sam Post * Ralitza Patcheva †

DISC 1

1. Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846 *

2. Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 846 *

3. Prelude No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847 *

4. Fugue No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847 *

5. Prelude No. 3 in C sharp major, BWV 848 †

6. Fugue No. 3 in C sharp major, BWV 848 †

7. Prelude No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 849 *

8. Fugue No. 4 in C sharp minor, BWV 849 *

9. Prelude No. 5 in D major, BWV 850 †

10. Fugue No. 5 in D major, BWV 850 †

11. Prelude No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 *

12. Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 *

13. Prelude No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 852 *

14. Fugue No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 852 *

15. Prelude No. 8 in E flat minor, BWV 853 †

16. Fugue No. 8 in D sharp minor, BWV 853 †

17. Prelude No. 9 in E major, BWV 854 †

18. Fugue No. 9 in E major, BWV 854 †

19. Prelude No. 10 in E minor, BWV 855 †

20. Fugue No. 10 in E minor, BWV 855 †

21; Prelude No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 †

22. Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 †

23. Prelude No. 12 in F minor, BWV 857 †

24. Fugue No. 12 in F minor, BWV 857 †

DISC 2

1. Prelude No. 13 in F sharp major, BWV 858 *

2. Fugue No. 13 in F sharp major, BWV 858 *

3. Prelude No. 14 in F sharp minor, BWV 859 †

4. Fugue No. 14 in F sharp minor, BWV 859 †

5. Prelude No. 15 in G major, BWV 860 †

6. Fugue No. 15 in G major, BWV 860 †

7. Prelude No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 *

8. Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 *

9. Prelude No. 17 in A flat major, BWV 862 †

10. Fugue No. 17 in A flat major, BWV 862 †

11. Prelude No. 18 in G sharp minor, BWV 863 *

12. Fugue No. 18 in G sharp minor, BWV 863 *

13. Prelude No. 19 in A major, BWV 864 †

14. Fugue No. 19 in A major, BWV 864 †

15. Prelude No. 20 in A minor, BWV 865 *

16. Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWV 865 *

17. Prelude No. 21 in B flat major, BWV 866 *

18. Fugue No. 21 in B flat major, BWV 866 *

19. Prelude No. 22 in B flat minor, BWV 867 *

20. Fugue No. 22 in B flat minor, BWV 867 *

21. Prelude No. 23 in B major, BWV 868 *

22. Fugue No. 23 in B major, BWV 868 *

23. Prelude No. 24 in B minor, BWV 869 †

24. Fugue No. 24 in B minor, BWV 869 †

Links: Sam Post | Ralitza Patcheva | Cover Art | Press Release

Purchase CD

Digital Downloads

Streaming

From Reverence to Reinvention: “As a student, I took the notes and rhythms as fixed...I struggled to reconcile the dogma of respecting the composer’s wishes with my fondness for Gould’s performances.”