A Guide to the Best in J. S. Bach Recordings (Part One) Jan 25 '03    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line Part One (of three) of my favorite J.S. Bach recordings. This volume includes: Art of Fugue, Mass in B Minor, A Musical Offering, Unaccompanied Violin and Cello Works I worked in an HMV Records outlet in Manhattan part-time for about five years. I had one main goal in mind to keep me going through the grim hours of retail purgatory: collect the complete works of J. S. Bach, at cost prices (often as much as 35 or 40% off the retail price.) Promotional items from record companies that employees could earmark for themselves helped my enterprise. When I severed my ties to the source, I had accumulated a decent cache of CDs, in the high 2000s, a good number of which bore the Bach stamp. My goal was accomplished, and then some. Soon after I had filled in all the cracks of my Bach collection, not one but three gigantic boxed set editions of the complete works hit the markets. I’ve subsequently heard portions of these editions, but I must say I did not regret for a moment having spent all those years laboring on my piecemeal collection. Above all, I was able to exercise my control over which recordings of beloved works I wanted, and not be a slave to the behemoth boxed set, which I doubt I would have listened to ever in its entirety. If you like your Bach on modern piano, as I do, you won’t get any of that in these complete editions, since they are dedicated only to period instruments, for better or worse. More importantly, taking time to build your own collection means getting to sample new acquisitions as they trickle slowly into your world, instead of being overwhelmed and perhaps spoiled or jaded by the easy access to the complete works. And with Bach, there is just so much to savor. Herewith, Part One of the best Bach recordings; due to the fact that I collected feverishly up to the mid-1990s, I may have missed some stellar ones of the last few years. Anyway, this is merely a personal guide; better to discover your own tastes, and build upon your foundation. To help the neophyte Bach collector, I will draw attention to budget CDs of excellent quality, and make distinctions between middle-of-the-road, sure things vs. eccentric or idiosyncratic performances which I happen to love. This is a work in progress. Sooner or later, I hope to write full reviews of most of the selections below. The Art of Fugue/Die Kunst Der Fuge, BWV 1080 1) Charles Rosen, piano. On "The Keyboard Album," Sony 63231, Budget 2) Phantasm, a Viol Consort version, Simax 1135 3) Keller Quartet, a modern string quartet version, ECM New Series 457 849 4) Amsterdam Bach Soloists, a modern instrument chamber ensemble, OTR 48503, Budget 5) Neues Bachisches Collegium, Dir. Max Pommer, a chamber orchestral version, Cappricio 10 026, Budget The Art of Fugue is one of the world’s greatest masterpieces of art, in any form. Intended foremost as a practical guide and summation of fugal and canonic practice, it is the very apotheosis of counterpoint, that rich interplay of layered voices that characterized Renaissance and Baroque idioms, while remaining indispensable for all serious composers after Bach. Partly due to the fact that Bach gave no indication of instrument in the score, it has been treated by numerous instrumental combinations, some of them quite offbeat, such as by four saxophones, vibraphones, recorders, and so on. The real reason everyone takes a stab at the music is that its architectural underpinnings are so clear and well wrought that it is, without exaggeration, the music itself on the page— the relationships of notes— that matters, seemingly regardless of instrumental timbre. Nevertheless, scholarship agrees that it was intended as a keyboard work, though debate ensues over whether that mean organ or harpsichord. Needless to say, enterprising soloists and groups worldwide have found the music irresistible, despite its not being remotely popular among the Bach canon, broadly speaking. I enjoy the recordings that capture the essence of the music without sacrificing clarity, ones that are not ostentatious or historically inaccurate with respect to rubati and ornamentation. This leaves many wonderful contenders, a few of which I have listed. Charles Rosen’s piano version is the least idiosyncratic, and remains for me a pillar of control, technique, and artistry. The Phantasm version is more mystical and ethereal, as is the Keller Quartet, using modern strings to Phantasm’s period viols. The only drawback with the Phantasm recording is that it is not complete (lacking the four canons). The Pommer and the Amsterdam recordings are both excellent larger scale arrangements, the latter being a bit more crisp and light, due more to the use of close mics than quality of playing. I have a sentimental attachment to the Pommer recording, as it was my first introduction to The Art of Fugue. Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 1) Chorus and Orchestra of Collegium Vocale, Philippe Herreweghe, conductor, Virgin Classics, VCD-7-90757-2 2) Slovak Philharmonic Choir, Capella Istropolitana, Naxos 8.550585-6 Budget Bach’s monumental Mass is actually a stitching together of numerous cantata fragments with new material composed in the early 1740s. From its dark, fugal inception through its many peaks and depths, this deeply spiritual and personal, yet universal composition is Bach’s compendious summation of choral writing, much as his Art of Fugue encapsulates his and his forebears’ collective wisdom on contrapuntal practice. The Herreweghe recording is my favorite— lush sound, exquisite singing, marvelous instrumentalists. Watch that you select this Virgin recording; Herreweghe recorded the Mass at least three times. For a near match in voluptuousness of sound and elegance of execution, try the budget Naxos label offering. A Musical Offering, BWV 1079 1) Bach Festival Orchestra, Yehuidi Menuhin, conductor, EMI Classics 767350, Budget 2) Leipziger Bach-Collegium, Caprciccio 10 032 A Musical Offering (1747) was composed in the same period as The Art of Fugue, Mass in B Minor, Goldberg Variations, and the Canonic Variations on von Himmel Hoch, when the composer was turning further and further away from the popular, galant style of the day, and creating giant scale compendia of fugal and contrapuntal writing. Also, like The Art of Fugue, the multiple movements are based upon a single theme, though in this case, it was suggested to Bach in a challenge by Frederic II. Bach rose to occasion with a 6-part fugue of unsurpassed complexity called a ricercare, as well as other canonic and contrapuntal treatments of the so-called Royal Theme. Menuhin’s version, for modern instruments, with the exception of harpsichord for the continuo, captures the poignant, elegant, and occasionally mournful flavor of the music, while keeping it ever light and forward moving. The Leipziger Bach-Collegium achieve comparable heights of pathos and beauty, here with period instruments. A bonus of the Menuhin version, recorded in 1961, is that it is paired with the four Orchestral Suites, BWV 1066-69, which the orchestra performs with consummate clarity and charm. The famous "Air on the G String" derives from the fourth suite. The Works For Unaccompanied Cello and Violin Much of Bach’s exquisite chamber music dates from the highly prolific period when he served at the court of Anhalt-Cöthen, from 1717 to 1723. He seemed to have limitless energy for inventing dark and light mixtures of stylized ‘dance music’ (e.g. sarabandes, gigues, gavottes, minuets, etc.). These pieces are some of the most beloved of Bach’s enormously diverse output, what with their dramatic blends of moods, combinations of intellectually rigorous counterpoint (even in the solo violin and cello music) with lighter melodies and caprices. The suites are usually in six movements, and Bach alternates between adagios and allegros, major and minor modes, raising the music to timeless and abstract levels of purity and form. The distillation of German, French, and Italian Baroque elements into something of such perfection and integrity of craft and structure makes for music that one can never tire of, no matter how many times one comes back to it. The Complete Cello Suites, BWV1007-1012 1) Janos Starker, cello, Mercury 432 756, Mid-Range 2) Pablo Casals, cello, EMI 66215 The darker hued timbre of the cello, with its groaning lower registers, gives these compositions an earthiness that wonderfully complements the loftiness of their spirit. From the joyous Prelude of the first suite in G major, building excitement as it goes with florid runs and upward arpeggios, to the deepest introspection and seriousness of the fifth suite in C minor, these suites cover a universe of emotions. Pablo Casals, a luminary of the instrument, sheds the light and power of his humanism and romanticism on these works. His phrasing and articulation are arresting. The sound quality of the recordings (which date from 1936-9) is not the best, but nor is it obtrusively bad. For a wonderful marriage of heart and mind, go with Janos Starker’s set, recorded in the mid-1960s. The sound is optimally warm, and the performances etch lasting patterns in the air around you as you listen. Even tempi, deep feeling, flawless technique— all keep the music flowing as if from the source of some eternal arc, out of silence and back to silence. While it lasts, Starker’s Bach traces such marvelous designs, you are thankful to be alive. The Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1) Arthur Grumiaux, violin, Phlips 438 736, Budget 2) Rachel Podger, Baroque violin, Channel Classics, 2498, Budget 3) Nathan Milstein, violin with Baroque bow, Deutsches Grammophon 423 294 4) Partita in D Minor: Christoph Poppen, baroque violin, on Morimur, ECM 461 895 A comparable world of rarefied emotions conjured by the solo cello suites exists in these six masterpieces for the solo violin. Most stunning, perhaps, are the fugues and other polyphonic textures that permeate the Sonatas and Partitas, mixed in with homophonic sections. In some cases, the bow quickly darts over three of four strings to indicate a perceived polyphony, while in others, the soloist must play two strings at once for prolonged stretches, carving out canons with a single bow. The technique required to play these works is so great, it is no wonder they are considered to have been written above all for pedagogical purposes, in the aid of mastering the instrument. This places these pieces in a league with other timeless pedagogical works, such as Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier (for keyboard mastery), Art of Fugue (for compositional mastery of fugue and canon), and Chopin’s piano Etudes. Again, as in the cello suites, an awe inspiring invention pervades these works whose calling is deeply personal, alternating as it were between private, meditative moods of deepest introspection to outward-facing, bold expressions of faith, passion, and pure love of artistry. As virtually all of Bach's music was devoted to God, we can be sure that these piercingly beautiful pieces were, as well. But in the absence of sacred text, their spirit is transmutable to secular forms of worship: in these compositions, we may also celebrate the august contemplation of the intellect and the ineffable joys and sorrows of the heart. Philips has released a wonderful 2-for-1 classic with this Grumiaux set, recorded in 1961. Grumiaux combines astonishing technique with grace, feeling, and seeming effortlessness. He serves as an unwaveringly solid and tasteful interpreter of these works. Nathan Milstein’s set (1975) is no less excellent, though for overall quality of listening experience, I prefer Grumiaux: Milstein’s bowing can tend to scrape inelegantly, at times brashly, in the arpeggiated passages, where Grumiaux is always clean and polished. On Baroque violin, Rachel Podger’s recent release of the complete set (2002) sets the standard for beauty of tone, warmth of sound, and virtuosity. This set is a new acquisition, and it is quickly becoming a favorite. There is, in this field, an embarrassment of riches, which is nothing to complain about. For a peerless rendering of only the Partita in D Minor (which features the celebrated, monolithic Chaconne), seek out Chistoph Poppen’s performance, strewn throughout the disc Morimur which combines this piece with choral works on the themes of death and resurrection. (See full review: http://www.epinions.com/content_86554807940) * * * Future Installments (coming soon!!) will cover: Solo and Multiple Keyboard and Violin Concerti Organ Works Cantatas, Passions, Oratorios, Magnificat, Motets, Missae Sonatas for Violin/Cello/Flute and Keyboard Lute Works Complete Keyboard Works (including French and English Suites, 2/3 Part Inventions, Partitas, Goldberg Variations, Well Tempered Clavier I/II, Aria Variatta alla maniera Italiana, Tocattas)

Read all comments (6)|Write your own comment

Write an essay on this topic.