Must have Bach - Page 5

dark,
I see you do not have some essential brandenburg recordings:

1. La Stravaganza / Siegbert Rampe / VIRGIN... you can do headbanging to this play
2. Concerto Italiano / Rinaldo Alessandrini / NAIVE
3. Concentus Musicus Wien / Nikolaus Harnoncourt / Teldec
4. Gustav Leonhardt et al / SONY-Seon

B-minor mass: Rene Jacobs / Akademie fur alte musik berlin / Berlin classics
Frans Bruggen / 18th-century orchestra / Philips

my recommendation:

Christophe Rousset / Decca_L'oiseau-lyre
Olivier Baumont / Erato


as for harpsichord concerto, do not forget
Pierre Hantai / Le Concert Francaise / Naive-Astree

Gardiner is overrated

i am sorry but he is simply overrated...his tempos are always so quick and doesnt allow the music to breathe..it ends up sounding sterile...more "gardiner" than bare bach...its amazing how acclaimed he is in UK while in germany, i have almost never heard of anyone who likes gardiner's recordings.....perhaps for superficial listening, its more entertaining but for those who really want to understand bach, try other conductors.

For the Italian Concerto if you want Harpsichord, try to get either the Christophe Rousset (preferably in his 4 disc rerelease from Decca which includes his Goldberg Variations and the Partitas) because it is very well priced, or the Scott Ross recording.



If you are interested in hearing them performed on piano, then try for either Evgeny Koroliov, Peter Serkin (in combination with the Goldberg Variations), or Rosalyn Tureck (slower tempos but amazing grasp of architecture.) Angela Hewitt recorded it twice, but her earlier DG recording is actually better than the later one at yourmusic which was issued by Hyperion. The Hyperion is not as good as the others mentioned here. Murray Perahia and Andras Schiff have also recorded the works as well on piano.

Which of the Cantata sets are you referring to, his earlier work on DG or the later work on SDG label? I have to admit that his earlier work on DG is not as fine as some of his SDG Cantatas.

Hi DA,

I have the Brandenburg Consort's Brandenburg Concertos too, but do not rank them has highly as some others. The Lamon/Sony should be heard for the 5th concerto which has a formidable harpsichordist in Charlotte Nediger. That's probably one of the best 5ths I've heard. I rank it along side of Hantaï's work with Jordi Savall. Hantaï's work is faster and more flourishing, but her phrasing is just so good and her grasp of the architecture of the long cadenza so complete that it's become a reference for me.

The IGA Brandenburgs are very roughly played and the sound quality is quite harsh. If you are interested in that style of interpretation, both the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin and the Concerto Italiano (Alessandrini) recordings do it much better.

The Pinnock is also reference for the concertos, if a bit dry. The set also includes the Orchestral suites as well which are also done very well.

For the Goebel, did you just get the B/Cs alone or in the box set? The box set was very well priced when I bought it at Amazon. Musica Antiqua Köln Brandenburgs are quite good and competitive with the best.

Next on your list should be the Cafe Zimmermann recordings "Concerts avec Plusieurs Instruments" volumes 1 and 2 which include one of the Brandenburg's in each volume. I think they will come out with more recordings until they have all of the B/Cs on disc. I find it interesting that they have chosen not to record then as a stand alone set, but rather as individual pieces that they fit into the context of Bach's other compositions. It really makes you hear the pieces differently.

Concerto Italiano / Rinaldo Alessandrini / NAIVE
Has been added since my original post..........I had an older Harnoncourt at one time that I did not keep, not sure which version

Goebel/DG Panorama - is 2CD set with Brandenburg 1-6, 2 violin concertos (Standage), and 2 harpsicord concertos (Pinnock). Very fast tempos for BC........quite daring for 1987 performances

My favorite bach dvds are these

Swingin Bach - A bach festival
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

Jacques Loussier Trio - Jazz Bach
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

I guarantee that you'll enjoy these 2 dvds.

I picked up the box set with 8 cds for about $30 (too good to pass up) which has just about all of their Bach instrumental recordings.

The DG/Archiv ones....i literally ordered the entire collection from amazon but was so disappointed .....for the old recordings, i like the Karl Richter ones though some of the singers have too much vibrato but the modern instrument sound is so rich ...for period instruments ...i recommend the Suzuki recordings which have the finest bach singers of today and great natural tempi and wonderful sound quality

I do agree, his earlier work was not as good as the later work. The DG series is okay but not terrific. The SDG cantatas are much better, though individually some, of course, are better than others.

I have the Richter cantatas and love them. They were my first Bach Cantatas and I suppose I will always enjoy them.

I'll bite....

I hope I don't repeat anything here, but I have a TON of bach recordings.

Some of these are a little different, but might give you some lesser known, but diverse selections.

Generally, I feel the to get the essence of bach, you need something from the "Canata years", a few early keyboard works, a few later works (for the contrapuntal complexity), some of the "post-vivaldi experience" works, and some of the larger choral works.

I'll start by saying that, although bach translates well to varying ensembles/settings, the contrapuntal essence in his music is often lost in large modern ensemble recordings.

As far as the cantatas go I really like the Ton Koopman (Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir Soloists) cycle on Erato. Wonderfully recorded with an intimate period instrument orchestra and a smallish choir that isn't afraid to sing in "pure" intervals. Gardiner knows the idiom, but I find the recordings lack that little something extra that makes them great. Still, they are very listenable.

Early keyboard works... The so-called "Neuemeister Chorales" as recorded by Graham Barber on the Gaudeamus ASV Digital Label (CD GAU 120) is a nice recording on a fairly authentic mechanical action organ by Peter Collings (after Arp Schnitger)

Later Keyboard Works... Lots of good stuff here. I'll go WAY against my period instrument pref and suggest Murray Perahia's recording of the Keyboard Concertos. Not faithful or period, but very listenable.

"Post-Vivaldi" - the Solo and Double Violin Concertos as recently recorded by Andrew Manze and The Academy of Ancient Music (hamonia mundi HMU 807155). GREAT recording with an always stellar ensemble.

Also the 6 Concerto transcriptions (after Vivaldi et al.) for Organ. (Attribution of these works is often questions. I think they're Bach's).
Christopher Herrick's recording on the Hyperion Label (CDA66813) is nicely recorded on a Metzler organ in Switzerland. Acoustic is nicely captured in this one. Simon Preston's is a little rigid, performance-wise... but the incredible organ and well executed recording make it a must have IMO, if only for the great instrument and well captured acoustic.

Larger Choral works... I'll defer to others on this one. I find the larger works often not as contrapuntally dense or engaging for me... so I don't listen to them as much.


And a some of my other personal favorites, regardless of type:

1. The Orgelbuchlein (Especially Rubsam's ealry recording as part of his Philips "complete works" edition, also the Simon Preston (for the organ) and Naxos Rubsam recordings)... 45 short and contrapuntally dense/diverse chorale preludes.
2. The Musical Offering by Ensemble Sonnerie (on virgin veritas)
3. Cello Suites... Casals or Ma
4. Art of the Fugue ... Emerson String Quartet, Canadian Brass, Juliard String Quartet
5.

Ohhh... I could go on forever. Thanks for the great thread!

Bach?

Anything by Glenn Gould. The guy devoted his whole life to perfecting his play of mostly Bach pieces. LOL. Amazing stuff.

John Williams  guitar  BWV 996

 

Yo Yo Ma  cello  BWV 1011

 

Spotify is a goldmine for J.S Bach recordings.