J. S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge

Amazon.com
The Russian pianist Evgeni Koroliov, a Van Cliburn Competition prize winner in 1973, now lives in Germany. He is not an international star. But another outstanding Bach player, who knew what he was talking about, recommended this recording. Koroliov manages to keep this difficult music, which may not even have been written for a solo keyboard, clear and alive no matter how thick the texture, and he plays every line with musical impulse. The timing is very short for a two-CD set (83:47), but every second of it is precious. Tacet, a German audiophile label, has provided outstanding sound. --Leslie Gerber

J. S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge,Christian Hougaard,Per Egholm,Johann Sebastian Bach,New Danish Saxophone Quartet,Jorgen Bove,Torben Enghoff,Kontrapunkt,Classical,Classical Music,Contrapuntal/Improvisatory Keyboard Music,Keyboard,Orchestral & Symphonic

Average customer rating: What a terrific bargain!

Bach's Testament [Box Set] J.S. Bach , and Jordi Savall Manufacturer: Alia Vox Spain ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005NTKG Release Date: 2001-10-09

Customer Reviews:

What a terrific bargain!.......2001-11-27

This is a box set of Savall's masterful chamber ensemble recordings of what many would argue are Bach's two greatest works: The Art of the Fugue and The Musical Offering. Handsomely packaged, warmly and clearly recorded, and played with conviction and imagination. This is a fitting monument to Bach's genius and a reminder that his music still fascinates, delights, and intrigues. It is truly inexhaustable music: each time I hear either of these works, it's like hearing something brand new.

An amazing bargain on one of the classiest music labels around. Get this box set now before it goes out of print!

Average customer rating: Excellent performance Intelligent relaxation Wow Juilliard Illuminates Bach's Art of Fugue Boring!

J.S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Bartok: The String Quartets (1950 Recordings) Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 2 Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 1 Works for Organ - Essential Classics Bach: The Art of Fugue; Musical Offering ASIN: B00000270V Release Date: 1992-04-21

Tracks:

1. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus I
2. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 2
3. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 3
4. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 4
5. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 5
6. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 6. a 4, im Stile francese
7. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 7, a 4, per Augmentationem et Diminutionem
8. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 8, a 3
9. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 9, a 4, alla Duodecima
10. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 10, a 4, alla Decima
11. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 11, a 4

Tracks:

1. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Canon alla Ottava
2. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Canon alla Decima in Contrapuncto alla Terza
3. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Canon--Duodecima in Contrapuncto alla Quinta
4. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Canon per Augmentationem in contrario motu
5. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 13, a 3
6. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Inversus a 3
7. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 12, a 4
8. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Inversus a 4
9. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 14
10. Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Choral: 'Vor deinen Thron tret' ich hiermit'

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performance.......2006-02-22

This is an excellent performance. My daughter thought it was neat. My son said it was OK. My wife liked it. Guests liked it too. Put that upside down or right side up, either way you go, we all agree it is an excellent performance. We will listen to it again and again. It is excellent in the mountains. It is neat in the marsh. It is OK by the lake....

Intelligent relaxation.......2005-11-03

There are so many performances of Art of the Fugue, highlighting different aspects of this profound music. My music dealer once told me that the Juillard Quartet was "playing with muscles" - he had probably not heard the performance. The reviewer below hits the mark by the characterization "spare and dry". It could seem boring, but the fact is that I prefer this version when I want some intelligent relaxation. This doesn't exclude it from being a lively performance, for some of the movements; it is more the uniform quartet sound for this kind of music that makes the overall mood of it so peaceful. Other times I prefer the elegant performance by Ristenpart or the engaging, emotional account by Munchinger (both orchestral). The colourful one by Savall is also very good, appealing very much to fantasy. This one with Juillard was my first Art of the Fuge and is still unmissable.

Wow.......2005-01-19

Bach's music presents the epitome of the craft of fugue-writing. Fugal forms permeate every part of Bach's writing -- from the most lyrical of the French Suites to the Brandenburg Concertos, to the Musical Offering and the Goldberg Variations, not to mention the Well-Tempered Clavier and the organ fugues. In many ways, all of Bach's work is an "art of fugue." But here we have Bach's genius distilled to its essence. No flowery melodies, no lyricism -- just the pure interaction of interlocking melodies; often dissonant, often disquieting, always incredible. While the Art of Fugue can be played on any arrangement of instruments (several very nice harpsichord and piano versions exist), the quartet arrangement of these pieces allows one to most clearly discern the various voices in these extraordinary fugues (and canons). The Juilliard Quartet provides remarkable performance of this landmark piece. Their style is spare and dry (though not as spare and dry as Emerson SQ's more recent recording). But real beauty bubbles up throughout these learned performances. The final fugue, which although unfinished is among Bach's longest, and which features the theme of Bach's name (Bb, A, C, and B), is played brilliantly and will be savored over again and again. If you have one recording of the Art of Fugue, this should be it.

Juilliard Illuminates Bach's Art of Fugue.......2000-12-13

In this amazing recording of Bach's Art of Fugue, the Juilliard String Quartet truly defines itself as one of the 20th Century's leading string quartets. While the Fugues were not originally composed for string quartet, the Juilliardians make it sound as though it couldn't be performed any other way! From start to finish, this is a must for every Bach-lover's AND string-quartet-lover's library!

Boring!.......2000-07-27

Bach's Art of Fugue is one of my favorite pieces, but I'm not fond of this particular performance of it. Each player seems to be trying to play a solo above the others rather than function as an ensemble, obscuring the counterpoint. There's nothing technically wrong with the performance, but there are far more interesting interpretations of the music on period instruments.

Average customer rating:

J.S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Moroney, Davitt | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B0000AOVOG Release Date: 2003-10-14

Average customer rating: A great purchase

Classical Brass - Eastern Brass Quintet - works by Malcolm Arnold, Gabrieli, J.S. Bach, Hindemith, Charles Ives, etc. Malcolm Arnold , Johann Sebastian Bach , Morley Calvert , John Cheetham , Francois Couperin , Giovanni Gabrieli , Paul Hindemith , Antony Holborne , Charles Ives , Claudio Monteverdi , Johann Hermann Schein , and Eastern Brass Quintet Manufacturer: Klavier ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Arnold | Arnold, Malcolm | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Couperin, François | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Gabrieli, Giovanni | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Hindemith | Hindemith, Paul | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Holborne, Anthony | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B000009K6H Release Date: 1990-11-01

Tracks:

1. Arnold: Quintet
2. Schein: Israelis Brunnlein: Die mit Tranen saen
3. Calvert: Suite from the Monteregian Hills
4. Hindemith: Morgenmusik
5. Monteverdi: Concertato "Qui rise Tirsi"
6. Monteverdi (arr. Baxter): Scherzi Musicali: O Rosetta
7. Bach (arr.): Cantata 147: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
8. Bach (arr.): Sarabande
9. Bach (arr.): Minuet
10. Bach (arr.): Fantasie
11. F. Couperin (arr.): La Tromba; Air Tendre
12. Gabrieli: Canzona per Sonare No. 2
13. Bach (arr.): Art of the Fugue: Contrapunctus I
14. Bach (arr.): Art of the Fugue: Contrapunctus IX
15. Cheetham: Scherzo
16. Holborne (arr.): Muy Linda; Pavan; Galliard
17. Ives (arr.): On the Counter
18. Ives (arr.): Side Show
19. Ives (arr.): Slow March
20. Ives (arr.): Tarrant Moss

Customer Reviews:

A great purchase.......2006-10-09

Very clean playing, a high quality recording with wonderful balance.

Fantastic playing! Great repertoire.

Average customer rating:

New Approach to J. S. Bach Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Pachelbel | Pachelbel, Johann | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Organ | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Academy of Ancient Music | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000DG04 Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. Ov/Kircher's Infulence On Bach's Music: Exc: (1/2) Con (III. Allegro)/(1.2) Cant BWV201... - A New Approach To Johann Sebastian Bach
2. Hexachordum Apollinis/Fifth Aria, Theme And Vars 1-3 - John Butt
3. Chor & 3 Partitas BWV767: O Gott, Du Frommer Gott - Lionel Rogg
4. Chor: Christ Lag In Todesbanden - Francis Chapelet/Matheu Bosch
5. Armonico Tributo: Con Grosso No.3: (5.1) Son. Grave (5.2) Allegro - Ens 415/Chiara Banchini/Jesper Christensen
6. Toccata And Fugue in F, BuxWV157 - Rene Saorgin
7. 'Yale Manuscript' Chor Prlds: Chor Prld 88: Erhalt Uns, Herr, Bei Deinem Wort - Joseph Payne/Bozeman-Gibson
8. 'Yale Manuscript' Chor Prlds: Chor Prld 60: Aus Tiefer Not Schrei Ich Zu Dir - Joseph Payne/Bozeman-Gibson
9. 'Yale Manuscript' Chor Prlds: Chor Prld 93: Jesu, Meine Freude - Joseph Payne/Bozeman-Gibson
10. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Coro Lass, Furstin, Lass Noch Einen Strahl - La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herreweghe
11. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Recitativo: Dein Sachsen - Ingrid Schmithusen
12. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Aria: Vestummt! - Ingrid Schmithusen
13. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Recitativo: Der Glocken Bebendes Geton - Charles Brett
14. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Aria: Wie Starb Die Heldin So Vergnugt - Charles Brett
15. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Recitativo: Ihr Leben Liess Die Kunst Zu Sterben - Howard Cook
16. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part One: Coro: An Dir, Du Furbild Grosser Frauen - La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herreweghe
17. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part Two: Aria: Der Ewikeit Saphirnes Haus - Howard Cook
18. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part Two: Recitativo: Was Wunder Ist? - Peter Kooy
19. Trauerode/Cant BWV198: Part Two: Chor Ultimus: Doch, Konigin! - La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herreweghe

Tracks:

1. Fant in G, BWV572 - Lionel Rogg
2. Pastorella in F, BWV590 (First Section) - Lionel Rogg
3. Con BWV1060: III. Allegro - Academy Of Ancient Music/Andrew Manze/Rachel Podger
4. Advent Cant BWV61/Opening Chor: Now Come, The Saviour Of The Heathen - Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herrweghe
5. Cant BWV21: Ich Hatte Viel Bekummernis: Sinf (Adagio Assai) - Marcel Ponseele
6. Orch Ste (Ov) No.1 in C, BWV1066: IV. Forlane (Italian Dance) - Akademie Fur Musik Berlin
7. Orch Ste (Ov) No.1 in C, BWV1066: V. Menuets I & II (French Dance) - Akademie Fur Musik Berlin
8. Mass in b, BWV232: Et Incarnatus Est - La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
9. Mass in b, BWV232: Crucifixus - La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
10. Mass in b, BWV232: Et Resurrexit - La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
11. St Matthew Passion: No.38a (Evang. Petrus Aber)/No.38b (Chor: Wahrlich, Du Bist) & 38c - Rene Jacobs/Howard Crook/La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
12. St Matthew Passion: No.39 (Aria: Eurbane Dich) - Rene Jacobs/Howard Crook/La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
13. St Matthew Passion: No.40 (Chor: Bin Ich Gleich) - Rene Jacobs/Howard Crook/La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
14. St Matthew Passion: No.41 (Evang. Des Morgens Aber)/No.41b (Chor: Was Gehet Uns Das An?) No.41c... - Rene Jacobs/Howard Crook/La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
15. Singet Dem Herrn Ein Neues Lied: Motet BWV225 (Part I) - RAIS-Kammerchor/Akademie Fur Alte Musik Berlin/Rene Jacobs
16. Magnificat BWV243: Sicut Locutus Est - La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
17. Parody: Ascension Oratorio BWV 11: Aria: Ach Bleibe Doch - Catherine Patriasz/Andreas Scholl/La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
18. Parody: Mass in b, BWV 232: Agnus Dei (Aria) - Catherine Patriasz/Andreas Scholl/La Chapelle Royale-Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe
19. Aus Tiefer Not Schrei Ich Zu Dir: 6-Part Fugue BWV686 - Lionel Rogg
20. Goldberg Vars BWV988: Theme (Aria) - Kenneth Gilbert
21. Goldberg Vars BWV988: Var No.25 - Kenneth Gilbert
22. The Art Of Fugue: Contrapunctus 1 - A New Approach To Johann Sebastian Bach
23. The Art Of Fugue: Contrapunctus 3 - A New Approach To Johann Sebastian Bach
24. The Art Of Fugue: Contrapunctus 6 - A New Approach To Johann Sebastian Bach
25. The Art Of Fugue: Contrapunctus - A New Approach To Johann Sebastian Bach
26. The Musical Offering BWV1079: Ricercar A 3 Beginning - Davitt Moroney/Janet See/John Holloway/Jaap Ter Linden
27. The Musical Offering BWV1079: Ricercar A 6 Beginning - Davitt Moroney/Janet See/John Holloway/Jaap Ter Linden
28. The Musical Offering BWV1079: Largo Of 'Son Sopr'il Soggetto Reale' - Davitt Moroney/Janet See/John Holloway/Jaap Ter Linden

Average customer rating: Why in the world did this happen? Indeed a fantastic performance Bach as you've never heard it! Bach reduced to the essentials.

Play Bach Johann Sebastian Bach , Awadagin Pratt , and St. Lawrence String Quartet Manufacturer: Angel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Busoni | Busoni, Ferruccio | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Concerto Grossi | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Pratt, Awadagin | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Live From South Africa Pratt: Transformations Awadagin Pratt: A Long Way From Normal ASIN: B000062UVY Release Date: 2002-03-12

Tracks:

1. Brandenburg Concerto No.5 In D Major, BWV 1050: I. Allegro
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.5 In D Major, BWV 1050: II. Affettuoso
3. Brandenburg Concerto No.5 In D Major, BWV 1050: III. Allegro
4. Keyboard Concerto No.4 In A Major, BWV 1055: I. Allegro
5. Keyboard Concerto No.4 In A Major, BWV 1055: II. Larghetto
6. Keyboard Concerto No.4 In A Major, BWV 1055: III. Allegro, Ma Non Tanto
7. Concerto No.3 In F Minor, BWV 1056: I. Allegro
8. Concerto No.3 In F Minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo
9. Concerto No.3 In F Minor, BWV 1056: III. Presto
10. Wachet Auf, Ruf Uns Die Stimme: Choral
11. Wachet Auf, Ruf Uns Die Stimme: Prelude
12. The Art Of The Fugue, BWV 1080/1: Contrapunctus No.1

Amazon.com

The problem with playing Bach's keyboard concertos one-to-a-part as opposed to a string orchestra is that Bach's intended soloist-ensemble differentiation is texturally obscured. In the case of pianist Awadagin Pratt and his colleagues, no one seems to want to take the lead in the A Major Concerto's slow movement, in which the string accompaniment never really balances with the solo keyboard line. Likewise, the plucked backings in the F Minor Concerto slow movement wrongly take center stage. By contrast, the musicians pounce on the outer movements with unyielding, almost brutal energy. This contrasts to their glutinous, rhythmically limp Wachet Auf. While the Fifth Brandenburg offers more sensitive playing and chamber rapport, Pratt throws all finesse to the wind in the cadenza. His solo selections (the Bach/Busoni Wachet Auf and Contrapunctus One from the Art of Fugue) do not project or clarify the linear strands to consistent and shapely effect. A disappointment. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Why in the world did this happen?.......2005-07-06

The St. Lawrence String Quartet does okaaay overall, but it's a bit of a mystery why they worked with Pratt on this thing when they had a lot more potential than this.

Sorry, but the guy just has no clue what he's doing, and obviously hasn't been "promoted" based on his professional / musical merit after about a decade of "trying".

A blunder of a release, and Bach in particular was perhaps the worst thing for these performers to team up on. Hopefully the quartet can get its act together in the future and find worthwhile collaborators.

If you *have* to listen to this, find it used. Cheap. Very very cheap. Don't put more into this than the performers did. It's definitely one that listeners are willing to part with without batting an eye.

Indeed a fantastic performance.......2003-10-23

I echo one of the reviewer's comments: I'm addicted to this fantastic CD -- every piece is so wonderfully played by Awadagin. The level of energy and excitement exerted by Awadegin is unmatched by other pianists playing the same pieces of Bach.

Bach as you've never heard it!.......2003-04-05

I am addicted to this CD, finding that I prefer it to other, more traditional, renditions of Bach's great works. If you are a Bach fan, you MUST add this to your collection. As an aside, I'm fed up with snotty reviewers screaming, "Authenticity!" every time someone tries to do something interesting with Baroque music. If we are comfortable hearing Bach played on modern instruments, we should be able to expand our aural vocabulary to include the fabulous job the musicians do on this CD.

Bach reduced to the essentials........2002-06-25

While the tale goes that all musicians, like their fellow humans, were created equally, this doesn't imply that they are being treated equally. Whereas Murray Perahia had one of the worlds best chamber orchestras at his disposal for a couple of mediocre cds featuring the Bach keyboard concertos, Awadagin Pratt's still under appreciated status did not afford him such luxury. Yet, I think that Awadagin and a total of six accompanists have turned this disc of concertos and "lose pieces" into a far more significant addition to the current discography, than Mr. Murray's counterparts.

Let me start by disagreeing with the Amazon reviewer and give some historic perspective. In the time that they still had the status of craftsmen composers like Bach, Haydn and even Mozart were expected to turn necessity into virtue. They wrote concertos, symphonies and chamber music pieces for any composition of performers that they were expected to provide a score to. Thus, the diversity of instrumentation in the Bach Brandenburgs and among the symphonies of the two classical fellows. In addition, none of these composers had the puritanical "holier than thou" attitude that has infected the current scene by way of the "authenticity virus". It's hard to belief so, but nobody even raised an eyebrow when the patron for Mozart's requiem had this work turned into a string quintet for home enjoyment. (Read Robbins-Landon's "Mozart's last year).

Prattt has chosen the approach that has been employed successfully in the past in e.g. recordings of the Hohe Messe, of replacing a group by one soloist. I admit, that it requires some getting used to hearing the Brandenburg 5th without the orchestral lushness, but upon repeated listening this chamber music setting shines in it's directness and allows a very interesting dynamic interplay between the performers.
To me, the same is true for the other concertos and the Cantata choral.

The disc is concluded by a Bach-Busoni transcription and Pratt's version of Contrapunctus 1 of the art of the fugue, a work that was on the program when I saw him live on April 1, 2000.

I think this is a great disc and fully recommend it to every true Bach lover. From the very first time I saw him on CBS's Sunday Morning Awadagin has impressed me with his musicianship, which he has emphasized in concert and through recording. This Bach is excellent. It is clear; it is appropriately dramatic and melodic and has a supreme sense of "drive". This stripped down version of the concertos gives an impressive view of how much substance Bach poured into his "lighter" works. I also really liked his version of the final piece. He gives a rendition that is closer to Joanna Macgregor than to Gould. Whereas the latter chose the same type of "dynamic" approach of the WTC's fugues in offsetting the four voices in despite of a less inviting harmonic material, Pratt keeps things more static and chooses subtle rubato of the individual voices to create his own brand of drama.

Hey Murray, have you been paying attention?

Average customer rating:

J.S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge [Germany] Goebel , and Musica Antiqua Koln Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: J.S. Bach: A Musical Offering; Flute Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3 [Canada] ASIN: B000023YBA Release Date: 1999-02-08

Tracks:

1. Contrapunctus 1
2. Contrapunctus 2
3. Contrapunctus 3
4. Contrapunctus 4
5. Canon Alla Ottava
6. Contrapunctus 5
7. Contrapunctus 6, A 4, In Stylo Francese
8. Contrapunctus 7, A 4 Per Augmebtationem Et Diminutionem
9. Canon Alla Decima, In Contrapunctus Alla Terza
10. Contrapunctus 9, A 4, Alla Duodecima
11. Contrapunctus 10, A 4, Alla Decima
12. Contrapunctus 8, A 3
13. Contrapunctus 11, A 4
14. Canon Alla Duodecima In Contrapunto Alla Quintacanon 12, A 4:
15. A. Rectus
16. B. Inversus Contrapunctus 13, A 3:
17. A. Rectus
18. B.Inversus
19. Fuga A 2 Clav.
20. Alio Modo. Fuga A 2 Clav.
21. Canon Per Augmentationem In Contrario Motu
22. Fuga A 3 Soggetti (Contrapunctus 14)

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J.S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge - Collegium Aureum Manufacturer: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (Sony/BMG) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B000B7G0T2 Release Date: 2006-01-09

Tracks:

1. Contrapunctus I A 4
2. Contrapunctus Ii A 4
3. Contrapunctus Iii A 4
4. Contrapunctus Iv A 4
5. Contrapunctus V A 4
6. Contrapunctus Vi A 4
7. Contrapunctus Vii A 4
8. Contrapunctus Viii A 3
9. Contrapunctus Ix A 4
10. Contrapunctus X A 4
11. Contrapunctus Xi A 4
12. Contrapunctus Xii A 4
13. Contrapunctus Xiii A 3
14. Contrapunctus Xiiia 2
15. Contrapunctus Xiv
16. Contrapunctus Xv
17. Contrapunctus Xvi
18. Contrapunctus Xvii
19. Contrapunctus Xviii

Average customer rating: Beautiful Work by Bach

J.S. Bach: L'Art de la Fugue Manufacturer: Calliope Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00004T6X9 Release Date: 2000-05-09

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Work by Bach.......2000-06-15

This CD is great for those who love Classical Music as well as for those who have never listened. It is light and relaxing. Nothing too dramatic. The music will sweep you away without you even noticing. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who is looking for good background music or a romantic setting. If you are interested in Classical but don't know where to start, this is great for beginners. Also, I would definetely give this as a gift for someone who I didn't know what to get them. Anyone would like it!

Average customer rating:

Bach 2000 Light (Without Sacred Cantatas) Various Conductors , Various Performers , and Various Ensembles Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Allemandes | Baroque Dance Suites | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Carl Philipp Emman. Bach | Bach, Carl Philipp Emman. | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Heinichen | Heinichen, Johann David | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Canons | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Concerto Grossi | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Canzones | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Trio Sonatas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sinfonia | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Passacaglias | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Organ | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Flute | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Oboe | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Academy of Ancient Music | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | ( V ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music ASIN: B00001IV8C Release Date: 1999-09-21

Amazon.com

The Bach renaissance--which began in earnest in the early 19th century thanks to the efforts of Felix Mendelssohn and others--inspired an endeavor of far-reaching significance. It led to the founding of the Bach Society in 1850, with the goal of gathering and publishing the composer's complete works, and thus set into motion one of the great projects of musical scholarship. That effort has continued and been refined throughout the 20th century, ultimately influencing not only our perception of how to perform early music but fundamental ideas of musical history, evolution, and reception as well.

Teldec's mammoth Bach 2000 box set represents a kind of culmination of that original attempt to come to terms with Johann Sebastian Bach's unparalleled legacy. This set brings together performances recorded over the last several decades--a small percentage of the recordings are previously unreleased--of all the extant works determined by modern scholarship to be authentic. There are also some pieces the authorship of which is still in question and a few now deemed "inauthentic" but familiarly associated with the composer. Bach was a prodigious reviser of his compositions, and alternate versions of a particular work have been included "where the changes seemed sufficiently important," such as the glorious Magnificat. No doubt manuscripts will continue to be unearthed here and there in various archives (Bach 2000 contains, for example, the "Neumeister chorales," which were rediscovered in 1984), but the set does not represent the many fragments of music that consist of just a few bars; however, there are some reconstructions of lost concertos (such as one for three violins reconstructed by Christopher Hogwood from an extant concerto for harpsichords).

Of course a truly comprehensive recorded edition of every note Bach wrote remains a utopian impossibility--about one-third of his cantatas, for example, have not survived. Even so, the dimensions of Bach 2000 are staggering. With its 12 boxes comprising 153 CDs, the set can be compressed into fewer boxes to save shelf space yet is still about ten times as long as the Ring cycle. (It should be noted that the packaging--using thin cardboard sleeves for the CDs--is distinctively unattractive.) That adds up to just under 160 hours of music--but a lifetime of discovery. Each box (grouped according to genre) contains a booklet with excellent notes on individual works and--for all the choral works--texts and translations. Tracking indexes are useful and thorough. Also included is a profusely illustrated hardbound volume of 24 Inventions, in which journalist Wolfgang Sandberger uses the composer's biography as a peg for some enigmatic and fascinating musings on the meaning of Bach today.

The presiding philosophy behind this project and its approach to musical interpretation can be largely ascribed to Nikolaus Harnoncourt, a true musical pioneer and galvanizing force of the "period performance" movement. Harnoncourt's epoch-making recordings of the sacred cantatas (using, for instance, boy sopranos and choristers according to the practice in Bach's time) with the Concentus musicus Wien and colleague Gustav Leonhardt comprise the first four volumes here (those who already own them can turn to the Bach 2000 Light edition, which contains everything sans the cantatas). These recordings--which were not remastered for this set--have long been controversial and are notably uneven, embracing some magnificent accounts as well as others that lack fire and seem clearly underrehearsed. But Harnoncourt is one of the most fascinating conductors of our era, and his interpretations amply bear out his assertion: "I have never felt that Bach worked in a routine manner, that he repeated himself in his works." Harnoncourt--who has articulated many of his ideas in his book The Musical Dialogue--displays his gifts as a cellist in a remarkably probing performance of the Cello Suites (originally recorded in 1965) and in his concertizing for a number of chamber works. For\ the St. Matthew Passion, you get Harnoncourt's groundbreaking earlier account from 1970, while his 1986 recording of the sublime B Minor Mass is also represented here (the St. John Passion included is Harnoncourt's 1995 acount).

Other artists included are colleague Gustav Leonhardt, whose thoughtful if occasionally dry harpsichord artistry is heard in the Goldberg Variations as well as in the concertos and chamber music. The harpsichord is in fact used throughout in preference to piano for the keyboard works. Ton Koopman (himself the conductor of an ongoing complete cantata series and of the Easter Oratorio included here) performs the organ works, including some newly recorded offerings, while Il Giardino Armonico's well-known high-energy account represents the Brandenburg Concertos. Violinist Thomas Zehetmair is exceptionally compelling in the unaccompanied sonatas and partitas, and the Concentus musicus Wien--again under Harnoncourt--perform a superb Musical Offering that richly repays frequent listening.

The result of Bach 2000 as a whole is an aptly encyclopedic grappling with the infinite legacy of this most compendious of composers, whose works are on one level a summation of all the styles available to him. Bach was once thought to represent a "terminal point" (to use Albert Schweitzer's famous formulation), the end of an era; today he is at least equally recognized as a fertile source of inspiration for composers since. To be sure, individual recordings of particular works will be found to be preferable, and it would be misguided to consider Bach 2000 any kind of "final" or "definitive" word. Instead, it's an indispensable starting point that represents a monumental achievement for our own contemporary understanding of Bach. --Thomas May --This text refers to the complete edition of this title

Album Description

Volume 1, 11 Discs
Secular Cantatas App. Sacred Cantatas; 11 CDs; Koopman, Harnoncourt, Koopman, Goebel and others

Volume 2, 14 Discs
The Sacred Vocal Works Masses,Magnificat, Passions, Oratorios; 14 CDs; Harnoncourt, Koopman, Corboz and others

Volume 3, 7 Discs
The Motets, Chorales & Songs Kirnberger Chorales,Schemelli Songs, Quodlibet

Volume 4, 16 Discs
The Organ Works; 16 CDs; Ton Koopman

Volume 5, 11 Discs
The Keyboard Works (I) The Well-Tempered Clavier, English & French Suites, Partitas etc; 11 CDs; Curtis, Ross, Wilson, Ruzickova

Volume 6, 11 Discs
The Keyboard Works (II) Goldberg Variations, Toccatas, Fugues, Italian Concerto, etc; 11 CDs; Staier, Barchi, Leonhardt, von Asperen, Baumont, and others

Volume 7, 13 Discs
The Chamber Music Violin Sonatas & Partitas, Flute Sonatas, Works for Lute, Art of Fugue, Musical Offering, etc; 13 CDs; Harnoncourt, Pianca, Tachezi, Brggen, Zehetmair, and others

Volume 8, 10 Discs
The Orchestral Works The Concertos & Orchestral Suite; 10 CDs; Il Giardino Armonico, Harnoncourt, Leonhardt

Track Listings:

1. La Follia
2. Lange-Müller: Complete Piano Works, Vol.1
3. Legends of Opera: José Carreras [Import]
4. Legends of Opera: Plácido Domingo [Import]
5. Lerchenmusik / Punkte Linien & Zickzack
6. Little Night Music / 3 Divertimenti
7. Manfred
8. Melodists of the Passion [Box set]
9. Mozart: Clavier-Concerte 22 & 23
10. Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 18

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Hotel Opera

Mozart: Divertimento, K131; Cassation, K99

Learn to Play Backup and Fills for Country and Bluegrass Dobro

Film Works V: Tears Of Ecstasy [Soundtrack]

Saga de Ragnar Lodbrock

Nodesha [Import]

Mother Goose Rocks! - Vol. 2

Milhaud: Scaramouche, suite for pianos Op165; Bruch: Concerto for pianos Op88

On Air [Live]

Lumina

MACHINA/The Machines of God [Import]

Live in Yer Face [Live]

Just Around The Hill, Pt. 2 [CD-single] [Import]

Orchestral Excerpts for Flute

Sounds of the Earth: Rain in Country