As we’ve seen in the second part, which recommends the best recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on the Harpsichord, in some variations Bach instructed the performer to use two manuals (i.e. That makes the pianist Schiff my choice over the excellent harpsichord playing of Pinnock’s (in excellent sound on Hänssler), which was ahead of its time and remains glorious. Instead, Jacobs hones in on subtlety and gentle nuance and employs the two choruses and orchestras in the most dramatically effective, stereophonic way. The Partitas (a.k.a. But this is nearly a dud. Steven Isserlis is a very charming, gregarious man, a fine cellist, and a savvy artist. et al. Today they are considered among the best music from the Baroque era. Gain deeper insights into the world of classical music. Most importantly, this enhances the dancing character of the music which is, after all, (stylized) dance music. Tracklist . As with Richard Egarr’s Brandenburg Concertos (mentioned below), this gives a relaxed, flexible buoyancy to the music, especially in the Third and Fourth Suites that use trumpets. No.2 Brandenburg Concertos Academy of Ancient Music / Richard Egarr (Harmonia Mundi), Amazon mp3: $18 | Amazon 2 CDs: ~$27 | ArkivMusic: $29 | Qobuz download £15-19 | iTunes mp3: $18, Gramophone’s Choice: European Brandenburg Ensemble / Trevor Pinnock (English, Avie), My Choice: Academy of Ancient Music / Richard Egarr (English, Harmonia Mundi). And among the more old-fashioned, big-boned crowd, I would be most likely to pick Karl Richter – slow and lush and glorious and above all: musical (Archiv or Profil) – from the shelves. Yes, “Great!”, but neither playing nor the recorded sound are anywhere remotely what we are used to and should expect. Their list, 90% Anglocentric, reads almost as if the Italians, the French, the Dutch, the Germans, Czech, or Japanese etc. Your name: Your email: Personal message: Tell a friend (or remind yourself) about this product. Really? According to an early biography of Bach, the Goldberg Variations were composed to help ease the nights of an insomniac Count and were named after harpsichord virtuoso Johann Gottlieb Goldberg who played outside the Count's bedroom at night. Find top songs and albums by Best of Bach including Bach: Invention 1 (Inventio I), Bach: Invention 13 (Inventio XIII) and more. Discover releases, reviews, credits, songs, and more about Bach* - Best Of Bach at Discogs. What she has brought to that field, which can smell a bit of musty corduroys on occasion, is unusual spunk and an aggressive edge which makes her recording on Onyx very special, indeed. I should think that potential aliens might rather get too sanguine an impression of us* … but there we go: Bach is the bee’s knees, and anyone who knows Bach but doesn’t love his music is going to be suspect to me, lest I learn a exculpatory reason for their lamentable deficiency. The mass includes sections not usually part of regular church services during Bach's time, and some have speculated about the irregular format that Bach saw the Mass in B minor as a summation of his art. His lightness (a lightness of touch, not the speedy timidity of Isserlis) has the grace that makes it impossible to tire of his playing. Share. His touch on the harpsichord is soft and ever-deft. [The entire list on Amazon (on CDs) can be found here and, alas incomplete/patched, as MP3s here. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2005 CD release of The Very Best Of Bach on Discogs. Brandenburg Concerto No. Blood Type May Have Minimal Effect On Covid-19 Health Risk, Delayed Cancer Care Due To Covid-19 Could Cost Thousands Of Lives, 9 More Bizarre Consequences Of The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Best of Bach - CD - ITEM at the best online prices at eBay! Bach's most treasured compositions in accessible arrangements for budding instrumentalists with online demo and backing tracks for download or streaming with our popular Playback + features allowing the player to adjust pitch, change keys, slow down audio, and more. (Telarc and re-issued on Warner; both add the whole autograph score on an enhanced CD for perusal on a PC or MAC.) Orchestral Suites. I used to read it religiously and got many of my first hints, tastes, and opinions from its pages. (pxhere). To make the lists comparable, I’ve kept the same choice of works that Gramophone opted for, even if this means skipping over recordings of cantatas and organ works, two of the most important genres in Bach’s output, although they used to be deemed less popular; even arcane. BBC Music Magazine gets close; Classic FM Magazine lasted nearly twenty years but wasn’t taken seriously by the cogniscenti. Its impeccable boredom reminds me a little of Steven Isserlis’ recording. A compilation that offers unbeatable value-for-money, in great performances from the Deutsche Grammophon and Archiv catalogues of Bach favourites - orchestral, … Bach* ‎– The Very Best Of Bach . The gold standard for the Cello Suites used to be the first cellist to record (and for all practical purposes re-discover) these works: Pablo Casals (EMI/Warner). Their Matthew Passion made my own “Almost List” of Best Recordings in 2008. Uninitiated listening might suggest that when Guttenberg passes the chalice, he hands it over with a cup of crazy. At various times I have worked with the CATO Institute, written for the Washington Post, contributed to Washington's Public Radio Station, and sold classical music at Tower Records. It’s a stiff and a very matter-of-factly reading that makes any other seem downright willful. Bach* ‎– The Best Of Bach Label: Telmak ‎– CS2-E Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation Country: Australia Released: 1985 Genre: Classical. Bach is the P.G. Various Artists. Reason enough to make it my top choice. Amazon mp3: $22 | Amazon 2 CDs: ~$20 | ArkivMusic: $30 | Qobuz download £16-24 | iTunes mp3: NA, Gramophone’s Choice: Trevor Pinnock (English, Hänssler), My Choice: András Schiff (Hungarian, ECM). Many in his family were composers and musicians. His works are pillars of mankind’s culture, and his music constitute the first tracks etched onto the golden record on the space probe Voyager that sails toward hypothetical distant galactic civilizations. Here are some of his best. Buy CD Sell CD. Most likely composed as pedagogical exercises for keyboard players, the two books of the Well-Tempered Clavier contain a prelude and fugue written in all 24 major and minor keys of the chromatic scale. I know someone else has coined the term for a different work, but with Queyras the Suites become the apotheosis of dance. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for The Best of Bach - John Eliot Gardiner on AllMusic - 2013 In some ways, Queyras, without copying the old master, could be thought of as a modern Fournier. I’ll consider any recording that includes at least BWV 1041 & 1042 and I can think of many recordings I’d give a more eager spin than Hope’s, though in fairness: His account is absolutely listenable compared to the dated, sentimentalized mess that the likes of Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman et al. All other works are either adaptations or reconstructions of concertos written either for different instruments or adapted for other instruments from subsequently lost originals for the violin or concertos for more than one violin (BWV 1043 for two violins is a common disc-mate) or violin and another instrument (like the reconstruction of BWV 1060 for violin and oboe instead of two harpsichords)… You get the point. But there is rhyme and reason to all he does. Bach* ‎– Best Of Bach Label: Belart ‎– 461 159-2 Format: CD, Compilation Country: Europe Released: 25 Aug 1995 Genre: Classical. They are, all gratitude and nostalgia aside, merely of historical interest. Look! He’s had a long recording career and benefits from his association with the excellent Hyperion label, which oozes quality on sheer reputation. Johann Sebastian Bach came from a distinguished musical lineage in Germany. No.10 St. Matthew Passion Klangverwaltung Orchester / Enoch zu Guttenberg (Farao), Amazon mp3: NA | Amazon 3 CDs: ~$27-30 | ArkivMusic: NA | Qobuz download NA | iTunes mp3: $25, Gramophone’s Choice: Concentus Musicus, Arnold Schoenberg Choir / Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Austrian, Teldec/Warner), My Choice: Klangverwaltung Orchester / Enoch zu Guttenberg (German, Farao). Well, that’s silly, so here is – acknowledging the still inherently subjective nature of such lists – a “Top Ten” that tries to avoid that bias and (probably) substitute it with some other, perhaps more subtle bias. The chorale “Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden” isn’t so much dour but displays an utter reluctance to part. Not so the next gold standard, which was set by Pierre Fournier (Deutsche Grammophon), a recording that still enlivens every room it is played in. Not English! Add to Collection Add to Wantlist Remove from Wantlist. Witnessing the gruesome death of Jesus and the ensuing earthquake, the heathen Roman executioners and their captain (of all people) are the first non-disciples to grasp the meaning of what has happened before them, and thus the beginning of Christendom. Johann Sebastian Bach is considered one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. Some big-name cellists have failed the Suites: Notably Mstislav Rostropovich’s account, perhaps stymied by too much reverence, it offers little beyond anodyne speed. I missed it on first exposure, but after repeat-listening I was blown away by the nuances, the details, the conscious (but not tiresome) phrasing of every note and the electric air. Karl Richter I & II (Archiv, both) and Helmut Rilling (Hänssler) would be far up my list, as would be a recent recording with Riccardo Chailly and the brawny Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Decca). None of that makes this the go-to recording of the Bach Violin concertos. At various times I have worked with the CATO Institute, written for the Washington Post, contributed to Washington's Public Radio Station, and sold classical music at…. Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. Tracklist Hide Credits. It features the fugal imitation and counterpoint of which Bach was a master and subtle interplay of the violins. 12 tracks (74:18). Best of Bach By Brilliant Classics "When the Angels sing for themselves they play Mozart, but when they sing for God, they play Bach." Piano Solo * = required. A more detailed review can be read here. The best recordings of JS Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier; Six Partitas. No.7 Well Tempered Clavier Zhu Xiao-Mei (Mirare), Amazon mp3: $28 | Amazon 4 CDs: ~$42 | ArkivMusic: $59 | Qobuz download £28 | iTunes mp3: $28, Gramophone’s Choice: Angela Hewitt (Canadian, Hyperion), My Choice: Zhu Xiao-Mei (Chinese-French, Mirare). Older recordings, with their cheeks blown and their muscles flexed, might more appropriately called “the Matthew Passion transcribed for Orchestra and Chorus” (in Andrew Manze’s coy words), but there is some wonderful musicality to be had, too. In the best moments he shows élan and a refreshing, athletic stride – but all too often it just sounds wimpy. Compare, for example, the early recording of the Partitas by Sir András Schiff (Decca, proper and dour) to his re-make a quarter century later, where he lights the Partitas up, infusing them with compelling motion. Bach. But that doesn’t make her very solid Well-Tempered Clavier the top choice for me. The popular "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" comes from his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben [Heart and mind and deed and life] using hymn text about having a close, personal relationship with Jesus. Is Your Doctor Making Mistakes Because He Or She Is Too Tired? Gramophone Magazine is the only English language magazine that combines serious CD-reviewing with the glossy, popular magazine approach. Tracklist . Give me instead Jean-Guihen Queyras. And the whiplash of the continuo string instruments and the frenzied violins in the recitative “Erbarm es Gott!” depicts the beating of Christ about as vividly as the Mel Gibson film. Spunky and swift, it chooses the lower French baroque pitch (~392 Hz) common to Weimar and Cöthen of Bach’s time. (pxhere) Johann Sebastian Bach came from a distinguished musical lineage in Germany. Their hearts change and they acknowledge (“Due chori in unisono”): “Truly… truly: this was the Son of God.” Notably, it’s the only time Bach lets both choirs sing unisono. And indeed, when they published a “10 Best Bach Recordings” list early last year, they topped it in such a ridiculous way that it needed soft rebutting which I hope to provide hereby. I occasionally work with musicians, orchestras, and record labels on questions of repertoire and I am particularly interested in how to retain classical music as a living art form, not mere museum art. Within a totally unruffled outwardly demeanor, she manages to evoke a wildly playful feeling in the music. Style: Baroque. Listen free to Johann Sebastian Bach – The Very Best of Bach (Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 645 "Sleepers Awake" and more). Wodehouse and the Shakespeare of the musical score rolled into one. Listen to Best Of Bach by Various Artists on Deezer. Her account is terrific and has been very special to me ever since I first heard it. For its Ninth-out-of-Nine Anglo-centric recordings, Gramophone nods to the Scots and the Edinburgh-based HIP Dunedin Consort led by Englishman John Butt. Since I’m not trying to deliberately make a list devoid of English performers (who have, after all, dominated the early music and historically informed scene for years and for good reason), I’ll go with Englishman Egarr directing the equally English Academy of Ancient Music: It’s a superb performance in a subtle way. Spotify playlist with the most popular tracks of J.S Bach. Air, Bach, JS: Brandenburg Concerto No. Gramophone picks the differently eccentric, second performance from 1981; I would recommend the edition that combines both, this and the groundbreaking one from 1955, when and if it has to be Gould. No.4 Goldberg Variations Duo Tal and Groethuysen (Sony), Amazon mp3: NA | Amazon CDs ~$9 | ArkivMusic: NA | Qobuz download £10 | iTunes mp3: NA, Gramophone’s Choice: Glenn Gould (Canadian, Sony), My Choice: Duo Tal and Groethuysen (Israeli-German, Sony). Category: Classical Description . No-nonsense, no-picture publications like the American Record Guide or Fanfare Magazine (both American), which exude the charm of telephone books, are total geek literature, arcane, loved by the few dedicated readers, and more or less published out of the basements of their respective, dedicated publishers… private ventures and labors of love that, like the lamented International Record Review, won’t likely survive their founders. Jonathan Freeman-Attwood Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Jonathan Freeman-Attwood listens to 65 years’ worth of recordings. Johann Sebastian Bach composed over 1000 pieces of music. If I opted for a HIP recording, it would be Peter Wispelwey’s Second (Channel Classics). But their Mass in B minor is the least convincing of the bunch amid extreme competition. These six keyboard suites of dance movements were first published in 1726. Marketplace 0 2 For Sale from $9.99. Add to Bag. No.3 Violin Concertos Petra Müllejans, Gottfried von der Goltz / Freiburg Baroque Orchestra... [+] (Harmonia Mundi), Amazon mp3: $6 | Amazon CD: ~$16 | ArkivMusic: $19 | Qobuz download £9-14 | iTunes mp3: NA, Gramophone’s Choice: Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Daniel Hope (English, Warner), My Choice: Petra Müllejans, Gottfried von der Goltz / Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (German, Harmonia Mundi). Series: Instrumental Play-Along Format: Softcover Audio Online Cello Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach 15 selections of some of J.S. J.S. Every note is performed in close consideration of what the text says. Bach's Mass in B minor is made up of some of the best music he composed in the preceding decades. And diversity, after all – not the historicist idea of authenticity – is what makes it so much fun to have different recordings of the same great works. Gramophone’s Choice: Ensemble Sonnerie / Monica Huggett (English, Avie) My … I fail pitifully at describing exactly what she does so well, but I feel it every time upon listening. Still, I’ve no hesitations when it comes to a “best”, which is to say favorite, version: Jos van Veldhoven and the Netherlands Bach Society on Channel Classics! That’s perhaps the one reason I choose him over the more extrovert but excellent recording of Gavriel Lipkind (a comparative review can be read here), or the surprise contender Arnau Tomàs (Aglae, in almost artificially great sound) that swept the board in a recent blind-listening exercise I participated in. A1: Air From Suite No. For years this was the recording (or one of them) I recommended as a top choice and it will remain one of several magnificent bequeathals by the 87-year old Harnoncourt, who is in ill health. Upon much-anticipated arrival, it won the 2007 Gramophone Award and the magazine is sticking to its guns. He doesn’t set out to shock (not even peripherally), or primarily excite, but to delight. Why not register today and … Six Cello Suites. Artist: Oistrakh / Richter / Walcha / Goossens. No.9 Mass in B minor Netherlands Bach Society / Jos van Veldhoven (Dutch, Channel Classics), Amazon mp3: NA | Amazon 2 SACDs: ~$33-45 | ArkivMusic: NA | Qobuz download NA | iTunes mp3: NA, Gramophone’s Choice: Dunedin Consort and Players / John Butt (English, Linn), My Choice: Netherlands Bach Society / Jos van Veldhoven (Dutch, Channel Classics). It was my favorite recording of 2009… and apart from Tzimon Barto’s new disc (Capriccio, riffing liberally off the Busoni adaptation), there’s no other recording, conventional or oddball, that brings me quite as much easy joy. The Best Of Bach. Rightly so; her Bach is delightful, I have enjoyed her recitals over the years, been turned on by her Bach Concertos (Hyperion) and turned off by her lecturing.