A more detailed review can be read here. 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). Find here online price details of companies selling Bach Flower Remedies. A detailed discography to accompany this list, including alternative choices, can be found on ionarts. 2, Chaconne Few moments in music are as dramatic as the opening from this devilishly tricky unaccompanied work. Product description. WQXR Navigation. 1 in C Major, BWV 846 is among Bach’s most famous works and occupies a special place within classical music. Tchaikovsky wrote this piece of music in a somewhat tumultuous time in his life, after experiencing relationship … Some of the early biographies of Johann Sebastian Bach … Bach other orchestral masterpieces are the Four Orchestral Suites, or “Overtures”. There are over 200 surviving Bach cantatas, and nobody here has time to go through them all. This piece simply bursts with enjoyment and we get to savour the first theme for a relatively long time. The category of violin concertos is tricky with Bach, as there are only two (BWV 1041 & 1042) that are straightforward surviving concertos for one solo violin. I also love the Herreweghe recordings, both the 1984 and even more so the one from 1999 (both Harmonia Mundi), which catches counter-tenor Andreas Scholl at his ethereal best. The following 4 pages are in this category, out of 4 total. 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. With a biography to match, versatile interests and talents, he’s someone every violinist should study for PR utilization, if not technique. But three leading Bach experts took up the challenge. 3. 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. The old-school standard, meanwhile, is Nathan Milstein’s second recording (Deutsche Grammophon) which is still a standard bearer worth going back to. Bach. But this is nearly a dud. He is the only composer on whom I cannot overdose, and while his music seemed dated to his own, slightly embarrassed sons, it strikes us as perfectly timeless now. How to Listen to 10 of Bach's Pieces Played on Original Baroque Instruments. Their Matthew Passion made my own “Almost List” of Best Recordings in 2008. 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. About Mark Allen Group 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. Pushed to pick my favorite in 2015, I’d be much harder pressed. It’s very HIP and consequently employs a small chorus (with three ripienists to a part on the large size for HIP, if you are into that sort of arcane detail), but the choral parts that we love in the Kyrie, the Sanctus, or the Gloria come through with real opulence and splendor, in audiophile sound. Bach. Gratitude is due; suggesting it’s the only or even best choice in the 21st century is either bold or very timid. The Prelude in C is really one of the best Bach pieces to start with when you're ready to start playing some classical music. [The entire list on Amazon (on CDs) can be found here and, alas incomplete/patched, as MP3s here. 2, Chaconne Few moments in music are as dramatic as the opening from this devilishly tricky unaccompanied work. Wodehouse and the Shakespeare of … But there are other recordings possessing other qualities that are every bit as good, and the most exciting of those might well be that of Russian (London-living) Victoria Mullova. Toccata in D Minor. Bach - Partita No. 35–40: secular cantatas; Vol. Bach’s inventions are solid early-advanced level pieces. Classical Features Best Classical Christmas Music: 10 Essential Pieces. 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). WQXR Navigation. gave us in the 70s and 80s. 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). Not English! Here's our list of Essential Bach Recordings. (A more extensive review can be found here.) It’s a stiff and a very matter-of-factly reading that makes any other seem downright willful. Re-listening to these and many others, I found the Freiburg recording the most delicate, vividly phrased, with perfect intonation and a light and lively understatement and Amandine Beyer’s the most exciting. Bach - Partita No. This list will take you through the very best pieces ever written for the violin. His lightness (a lightness of touch, not the speedy timidity of Isserlis) has the grace that makes it impossible to tire of his playing. There is something about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach that puts it in a category of its own. The story goes that Bach penned this work to brighten the insomniac nights of Count Kaiserling. Here's our list of Essential Bach Recordings. Bach’s inventions are solid early-advanced level pieces. have not made meaningful contributions to the genre of Bach recordings at all. Welcome to Peter Hurford's recording of some of Bach's best known organ works, and some lesser known pieces. It is at Matthew 27:54 and part 63b (NBA) in Bach, at the end of the crucifixion scene. The coup of Guttenberg’s interpretation of the Matthew Passion is that he elevates—or rather: uncovers and restores—the climax of Matthew’s gospel as the highpoint of Bach’s work. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. 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. This piece has a wonderful story behind how it was … Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites, BWV 1007 – 1012 It wouldn’t be a list of the greatest cello pieces without the Bach Suites. HOW TO CHOOSE WHICH BACH PIECES TO PLAY. Listing Bach's compositions. Pooping Less Frequently To Save The Planet? Uninitiated listening might suggest that when Guttenberg passes the chalice, he hands it over with a cup of crazy. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Art of Fugue, the Brandenburg Concertos, and the Goldberg Variations as well as for vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. I know someone else has coined the term for a different work, but with Queyras the Suites become the apotheosis of dance. Log in. Explore our selection of the top 10 best classical solo piano pieces featuring works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy. Best Bach Cantata set; Welcome to Talk Classical - A community covering every aspect of classical music! What recordings would appear in your Top 10? For an essay on the late-romantic composer Hans Rott in Listen Magazine I won a 2012 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. To mark the younger Bach's tercentenary, Ivan Hewett picks 10 pieces that demonstrate his genius Bach is the P.G. 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. There is something about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach that puts it in a category of its own. Una Limosna por el Amore de Dios by Agustín Barrios Mangoré . 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. There are several reasons why this piece is great for beginners: It has an easy Key Signature to play - C Major, which has no sharps or flats ; It has easy rhythms to play and understand so you won't be overwhelmed with anything too complex; It has easy hand and finger patterns that follow … Bach - Cello Suite No. 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. (In a way the ultimate in historically informed orchestras, seeing that they have performed Bach every Sunday for the last two centuries in the Thomaskirche – together with the Thomaner Choir who sang under Bach himself.). 4. Best Books on Bach I grew to become an adept of Bach last year and read several books that I loved. 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). I’ll go off that path and recommend the interpretation of the Piano Duo Tal and Groethuysen, who recorded the version for two pianos by Joseph Rheinberger and then adapted by Max Reger. Steven Isserlis is a very charming, gregarious man, a fine cellist, and a savvy artist. Perhaps they will be of interest to folks wanting to learn more about this iconic and fascinating composer at the core of baroque music and a key influence on the classical and romantic waves that followed. In the best moments he shows élan and a refreshing, athletic stride – but all too often it just sounds wimpy. For sheer rhythm and pluck, I would go with Friedrich Gulda’s recording (Decca / MPS), for wallowing in beauty and a hint of nostalgia with Tatyana Nikolayeva’s 1984 live, but out-of-print recordings from Japan (Victor). It was originally dedicated to Napoleon – a dedication Beethoven removed in a rage on hearin… Indeed, his is a musical interpretation of the gospel of St. Matthew, and it makes for one of the great Matthew Passion recordings. Every note is performed in close consideration of what the text says. CPE Bach: top ten pieces. 8 years ago. No quibbles here: Canterbury-born Trevor Pinnock’s second recording of the Brandenburg Concertos (Avie) is terrific: Historically informed playing (which has really become the standard in this repertoire) at a very high level. If you’re a fan of the cello, or just getting introduced to classical music, these pieces are absolutely necessary to know: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites, BWV 1007 – 1012. This is one of those times when looking up Wikipedia is the thing to do. 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. Sound choices, all; I’ll go with a spiritual one: With Enoch zu Guttenberg’s and his “Sound Administration Orchestra” (Farao). You may opt-out by. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Violinists: how many of these have you attempted? Bach's most famous works, and its three CDs are filled with historic performances drawn from the vaults of EMI. JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH - ESSENTIAL BACH - 2 CD SET Amazon.com. But that doesn’t make her very solid Well-Tempered Clavier the top choice for me. 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). The heart-stoppingly beautiful first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata is the most famous from his work, and was described by composer Hector Berlioz as a ‘lamentation’. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of … Johann Sebastian Bach: Top 5 Compositions 1. The Chaconne from the Partita No 2 for solo violin. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Really? — Professor. Choosing the "best" of Johann Sebastian Bach's nearly 200 sacred cantatas is a daunting task, as each one seems perfect. 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