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Must have Bach

post #1 of 74
2/11/05 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
I wanted to know what you guys think would be the 10-15 most essential cds of bach aside from the brandenburg concertos, and cello suites.
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post #2 of 74
2/11/05 at 8:05pm
At least 3 of the Cantatas, preferably more. and the Orchestral suites and the well tempered klavier, and the goldberg variations, and the st matthew passion (a capella), and the italian suites, and the english suites, and double concerto for violins, and the other violin concertos, the partitas, the art of the fugue and other organ works, and you need at least two versions of the brandenbergs in order to really understand them, do I have to go on? They are all essential. Bach should never be limited except when you run out of money!
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post #3 of 74
2/11/05 at 9:16pm
To add to Bunnyears list, dont' foget to sample any of the six piano concerti.
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post #4 of 74
2/11/05 at 9:22pm
All solo keyboard works are a must (about 12 CD's right there), plus the trio sonatas, and the voila de gamba sonatas are all must haves, in addition to the stuff already named. There is very little "minor" bach that can be ignored or passed over. It's almost all great and all essential.
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post #5 of 74
2/11/05 at 9:22pm
Bunnyears said it all. The only limit on bach is how much you're willing to spend, but his list is as good as it gets.
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post #6 of 74
2/12/05 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunShip
Bunnyears said it all. The only limit on bach is how much you're willing to spend, but his list is as good as it gets.
Excuse me, HER list!
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post #7 of 74
2/12/05 at 4:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Godfather1
I wanted to know what you guys think would be the 10-15 most essential cds of bach aside from the brandenburg concertos, and cello suites.
10-15?
Matthew Passion (recommend Richter 1979 or Gardiner) 3 CDs (not a capella!!!)
Art of Fugue (recommend Musica Antiqua Koeln) 1 CD
A sampler of organ works 2 CDs
Goldberg variations 1 CD
B-Minor mass 2 CDs
John passion (Gardiner recommended) or selected cantatas 2 CDs
Motets 1 CD
More concertos if you like the Brandenburgs - keyboard concertos and/or violin concertos (Kreisler recommended, if you can find a recording) 2 CDs
Violin sonatas and partitas 2 CDs

I'm only over by 1 CD!
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post #8 of 74
2/12/05 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunnyears
Excuse me, HER list!
My bad miss bunnyears. The masculine name and avatar threw me!
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post #9 of 74
2/12/05 at 10:36am
Why does my interest in Bach remain very superficial, I have all the main works yet I rarely listen to them.......instead I am much more drawn to Vivaldi's work during this period, it is alive and full of emotion and passion.
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post #10 of 74
2/12/05 at 10:59am
I find a lot of Bach to be passionate in a sense. I was listening to the violin partitas the other day, and they're really moving. The thing I love about bach is just how perfectly structured the phrases are. All the cadences hang perfectly and you can hear the way the phrases are going and they sound perfect and often very simple.
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post #11 of 74
2/12/05 at 2:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkAngel
Why does my interest in Bach remain very superficial, I have all the main works yet I rarely listen to them.......instead I am much more drawn to Vivaldi's work during this period, it is alive and full of emotion and passion.
DarkAngel, why don't you try picking up one of his cantatas? I suggest "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" (My heart was sorely troubled). I have the Karl Richter -Munchner Bach-Orchester and Bach-Chor on vinyl and it really grabs you. It's slow but really develops beautifully. I think it's only available now as part of a set, but it's recently been recorded by a Japanese group (available at Amazon) that has gotten very good reviews. Or, if your taste doesn't run to dark choral works that unfurl slowly, try one of the new Tafelmusik recordings of the Orchestral suites. Those are really excellent. Bach: Orchestral Suites /Lamon, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is available at Tower for about $12.75 and it's a steal. I know that you prefer things that have a quick dramatic appeal, but sometimes it's also good to sit back and submerge yourself into a slower, deeper pool of sound. anyway, try the cantata, or maybe this: Bach: Famous Choruses / Leonhardt, Harnoncourt also available at towerrecords for $11.99. It will give you sampling of Bach's choral work in a very high quality recording.
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post #12 of 74
2/12/05 at 2:52pm
Bach organ works are splendid - 20 CDs ( I have the Wolfgang Stockmeier set) there inc the really cliched but wonderful Toccata and Fuge in D BWV 965.

Brilliant Classics do a best of Bach (40Cds about $80 on eBay) - I have this one and there is the Bach Complete set (160CDs - about $250) or you can buy the Bach lite collection which excludes the 60CDs of cantatas. With over 1000 works he was pretty damn productive.

Personal faves

The cello Suites (Tortelier)
Art of Fuge
Well tempered clavier
Goldberg Variations - Piano or harpsichord
St Mathew Passion
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post #13 of 74
2/12/05 at 2:58pm
LOL -- This thread is going to kill me. Everytime I see something I don't have by Bach, the credit card just jumps into my hands. The only Bach not worth having is badly performed/recorded Bach; everything else always goes on my must get list.
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post #14 of 74
2/13/05 at 3:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkAngel
Why does my interest in Bach remain very superficial, I have all the main works yet I rarely listen to them.......instead I am much more drawn to Vivaldi's work during this period, it is alive and full of emotion and passion.
Amen! Listen to the Vivaldi edition from Opus111/Naive and you will see why Bach admired Vivaldi. Their "Vespri" from Concerto Italiano was my "I can't stop listening to this" record of last year.
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post #15 of 74
2/13/05 at 11:59am
Without taking anything away from Vivaldi, Bach just stands heads and shoulders above him. Beethoven was a great admirer of Muzio Clementi, but no one suggests that Clementi, great teacher that he was and originator of the dynamic system that Beethoven used to such great effect, was close to Beethoven in genius.

Vivaldi is much more accessible music than Bach, but Bach if you take the time, is so much more rewarding. He is worth every second of your time.
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