The opening prelude features huge descending melodies that sound exuberant at times and tumultuous at others. It's paired with a fun and charming fugue, which begins at 5:45 in the video above. You can hear why some of classical music's finest pianists, including Glenn Gould and Rudolf Serkin, also gravitated toward the piece and made their own memorable recordings of it.
More exclusive music from the CPR Performance Studio:
- Anderson & Roe Piano Duo Plays Music by Gluck
- Boulder's Takacs Quartet Plays Ravel
- Cantus Sings Haunting Music By Ysaye Barnwell
- Sphere Ensemble Reimagines Beethoven's Beloved Seventh Symphony
Mahan has been busy making studio recordings of her own. She's featured on a new disc of Leonard Bernstein’s complete solo piano compositions.
Here's another memorable session worth watching: Mahan's performance of Debussy, from her 2015 visit to the CPR Performance Studio:
