After nearly 20 years, Edward Parmentier's 1987 recording of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 now stands among the greatest recordings of the work. When it came out, Parmentier's performance was highly regarded for its transcendent virtuosity and its intellectual intensity, although it was sometimes disparaged for its willful eccentricities. But time has added a greater depth to Parmentier's performance: what once seemed willful now seems inevitable and what once seemed eccentric now seems inescapable. Parmentier's tempos are flexible, his sonorities subtle, his structures ineluctable, and his conclusions undeniable and overwhelming. Session producer Joseph Spencer's sound is warm, rich, and real. Instrument maker Keith Hill's harpsichord is clear, lush, and true. First-time listeners may at first find that Parmentier's tuning may take some getting used to, but one's ear quickly adjusts to the tuning of a well-tempered clavier and then, all at once, the lively blues, grays, reds, and yellows found in the ceiling frescoes of Tiepolo will dance and sing in Bach's sublime music.