Andras Schiff Performs Bach's "Clavier" at the 92nd Street Y Ruby Washington/The New York Times Andras Schiff performing Book 2 of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" at the 92nd Street Y on Thursday. Last Saturday, in one of the highlights of this or any concert season, the pianist Andras Schiff gave a magnificent performance of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier," Book 1, at the 92nd Street Y. That Mr. Schiff, 58, has studied, played and inhabited this music for about a half-century came through in his probing and vibrant performances of the 24 preludes and fugues, in every major and minor key. On Thursday, just five days later, Mr. Schiff was back at the 92nd Street Y to perform Book 2, in another exhilarating performance. Book 2 of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is, over all, even harder and definitely longer. Not counting the intermissions, Mr. Schiff's account of Book 1 took just under two hours; Book 2 was about 2 hours 20 minutes. Bach's contrapuntal writing is more intricate and experimental in the later collection. Many of the fugue subjects, like the halting, fragmented one of the Fugue in F sharp minor, are quirky, clipped and strange. It is as if Bach had intentionally set himself the challenge of developing elaborate fugues from unwieldy themes. Though New York was still reeling from Hurricane Sandy, the 900-seat auditorium at the 92nd Street Y was nearly filled. Listening to Mr. Schiff performing Bach so beautifully, I thought about what an out-of-body experience it would have been for Bach to attend these concerts. Hearing his preludes and fugues, which were written for the harpsichord, played on the piano would have been the least of it. Though he was critical of early fortepianos, he had positive things to say about an instrument he tried on a visit to Berlin in 1747, three years before he died. Besides, no keyboard works are more all-purpose and reduced to the essentials of music than Bach's preludes and fugues. But what would have stunned him would be the sight of all those people sitting in an auditorium listening to "The Well-Tempered Clavier" being performed. Though many of these pieces are dazzling, even charming, this is formidably complex music. Bach thought of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" as a kind of treatise, the ultimate demonstration of the workings of counterpoint, as well as an exploration, almost a manifesto, on behalf of a system of tuning that made it possible to explore the chromatic nooks and crannies of all the major and minor keys. Most of all, Bach would have been flabbergasted that Mr. Schiff had played the complete 48 preludes and fugues from memory. The very idea would never have occurred to Bach. In his day there was composed music, which was performed from printed scores, or there was improvised music. My guess is that Bach would have found it easier to improvise a new prelude and fugue in A flat than to play this intricate work from memory. There was much talk during intermission about Mr. Schiff's feat of memory, which was awesome. Still, there are different kinds of talent and genius. That Mr. Schiff played this music from memory so comfortably is what can happen after decades of study and immersion. But it also suggested that the wiring of Mr. Schiff's brain was suited to Bach's highly contrapuntal style. I would have been just as impressed by Mr. Schiff's brilliant playing had he performed the "Well-Tempered Clavier" using the printed scores. I still feel, as I did after hearing Mr. Schiff play Book 1, that he may go too far in his resolve to perform these works on the piano without using the sustaining pedal at all. He made a strong case for his choice in a recent interview in The New York Times, yet now and then, just a touch of pedal would have lent the sound some lingering richness and hazy colorings, as in the tender Prelude in G from Book 2. Still, Mr. Schiff brought fresh, prickly clarity and rhythmic vitality to that prelude. Over all, he has found a way to make his no-pedal approach work. I would not be surprised, though, if in future years he rethought this issue. For now, those who were not at the 92nd Street Y have Mr. Schiff's new ECM recording of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" to savor. And in April Mr. Schiff's Bach Project continues in New York when he plays the complete French and English Suites at Alice Tully Hall and two concertos with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall. All, of course, from memory.