In my opinion, Gould had some things that worked for him, but also some that certainly didn't. Like the link you sent, the fact that he's staccatoing the broken

In my opinion, Gould had some things that worked for him, but also some that certainly didn't. Like the link you sent, the fact that he's staccatoing the broken chords in the first prelude... Why? It's horrible. If you want something on the rigid tempo/clear notes end, I would instead recommend this Thomas Schwan recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IImakFsEHL8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IImakFsEHL8 But actually if you don't know Bach, I would start with the gentle András Schiff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugc5FZsycAw&t=181s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugc5FZsycAw&t=181s I agree with the parent that listening to harpsichord recordings does give you something different from the piano recordings. I don't agree with the expressive pianoforte part, though. As far as I'm aware Bach never left any instructions to that end. Also as far as I'm aware, at the time musicians were expected to breath life into the pieces on their own, deciding tempo, dynamics (sound volume) etc. according to their abilities and the customs at the time. This idea of a piece being set in stone with only one correct interpretation, or at least only small variations allowed, is, I think, a much later idea. You can see it start in say a composition by Chopin that will have detailed execution instructions, and really set in with pop songs in the past 70 years. As I gather, around the time of Bach there were several different models of both harpsichords and clavichords around in addition to organs, all with relatively different tonal qualities. If you listen to harpsichord recordings, you'll note that they actually do customize the tempo locally (rubato) to infuse life into the pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQ-sUvSiV8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQ-sUvSiV8 You cannot vary the dynamics quickly on a harpsichord. Clavichords are much more expressive, though. You can even make a vibrato (Bebung): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oCGNwDokT0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oCGNwDokT0 I think Bach wrote these pieces so that people, including his own children, could play them at home, whether on a harpsichord or clavichord or something else, and I also think he intended the players to use their instrument to its fullest potential. Why wouldn't he? I have a hard time believing he wouldn't himself graduate the dynamics on a clavichord. I also think that part of what makes his music ethereal is that it actually does generalize over many instruments, even later instruments like the modern pianoforte, but also something like a guitar. You can find guitar players on Youtube delivering Bach that sounds great. He was a master of harmony.