The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903 probably belongs to the years Bach spent in Coeten (1717-1722). Here the listener is presented with a work that is wholly German and of a style already well-known and venerated in Bach’s lifetime. The later title “chromatic,” probably reflects both the far-ranging modulations of the extravagant Fantasy and the obvious nature of the Fugue’s subject.
From the outset, the Fantasy proves to be a bravura piece of truly amazing invention. The brilliance of the instrument itself is evident in every phrase: the piece features arpeggios and fast scales, and even includes a section marked “Recitativ.”
The Fugue, while rather more strict, is still propelled more by virtuosity than by contrapuntal devices. To both listener and performer, this work, probably more than any other, suggests Bach in a flight of improvised inspiration.
And here’s Sir Andras Schiff in 1989, playing this music:
