Baroque
541 products
Bach: Orchestral Suites 1-4 / Capella Istropolitana
Bach J.s.: Organ Chorales Vol. 2
Bach J.s.: Organ Chorales Vol. 1
Bach: Flute Sonatas Vol 2 / Petri Alanko, Et Al
Bach: Flute Sonatas Vol 1 / Petri Alanko, Et Al
Bach: English Suites No 4-6 / Wolfgang Rübsam
Bach: Cantatas Vol 1 / Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan

Those who lament the austere, dispassionate, "scholarly" approach that more often than not informs today's original-instrument performances of Bach cantatas will find much to rejoice in Masaaki Suzuki's grand and heartfelt, if not overly devotional conceptions. For instance, as you listen to the opening Sinfonia of Christ lag in Todesbanden you're immediately struck by the emotive delicacy of the string playing and how perfectly it introduces the subject's necessary resolve and sadness. Moments later when the chorus enters and the momentum shifts, the urgency of the ensemble likewise changes to deftly communicate just the right measure of boldness and hope. Throughout the piece Suzuki's uncanny ability to extract every nuance from Bach's sublime score recalls the efforts of Karl Richter, Günther Ramin, Fritz Werner, Karl Ristenpart, and Helmut Winschermann--bygone patricians of this repertoire who were equally considerate of the music's every emotion, from deepest angst to overwhelming joy. Though BWV 4 is one of Bach's most famous and oft-recorded cantatas, Suzuki's rendering of it ranks with the very best.
The two other cantatas offered--Nacht dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150 and Der Herr denket an uns BWV 196--also receive outstanding performances. In BWV 150, soprano Yumiko Kurisu's seamless and spirited rendering of the aria "Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt" is a marvel, as is the fifth-movement trio "Zedern müssen von den Winden", expertly performed by countertenor Akira Tachikawa, tenor Koki Katano, and veteran Dutch bass Peter Kooy. Also noteworthy is Suzuki's brilliant negotiation of the complex rhythms of the chorale "Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem herren", imparting a rarely heard uplifting quality to the setting. BWV 196 is highlighted by the final chorale "Ihr seid die Gesegneten", where Suzuki's sensibly dignified conclusion impresses more favorably than the overly exuberant let's-get-it-over-with treatment Konrad Junghänel and the Cantus Cölln offer in their fairly recent Harmonia Mundi recording (type Q1384 in Search Reviews).
BIS's sound is of audiophile quality, with an expansive yet detailed sound stage that spectacularly complements Suzuki's grand realization. As Volume 1 in a complete traversal of Bach's sacred and secular cantatas, this auspicious entry offers the promise of an extraordinary and very important cycle that shouldn't be missed by anyone who loves these works. This is the kind of Bach rarely heard anymore--performances that make you want to devote time to them, to listen at lifelike levels and follow the text religiously.
-- ClassicsToday.com
Bach: Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1 / Wanda Landowska
Aufs Lautenwerk - Music by Bach / Kim Heindel
Bach, the lute, and the lautenwerk (lute-harpsichord) have fascinated me for years. Upon investigating Bach's connection with the two instruments, one is immediately faced with the striking absence of one vital piece of evidence: though we know that many lautenwerks existed, none, to our knowledge, have survived into our time. The lautenwerk, the name by which it is usually known in German and English, was a harpsichord like instrument of one or two manuals with the same range as lute, but somewhat lower than the harpsichord. It was strung with gut rather than brass. - Nigel North, London, June 1994
The Story Of Bach
Includes work(s) by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Bach: The Great Organ Works / Wolfgang Rübsam, Bertalan Hock
Selections recorded in August 1988, April and December 1992, June 1993, January 1994, and April 1995.
Adagio - Bach: Brandenburg Concertos No 1 And 6, Etc
Bach: Two- And Three-Part Inventions / Glenn Gould
But what's most important is that Gould divines more character and meaning from the Inventions than many pianists who've looked upon these works as little more than teaching pieces. I especially like how Gould creates a unifying arc by juxtaposing each two-part invention with its three-part counterpart in the same key, sometimes dovetailing non-stop from one piece to the next.
In addition to the aforementioned sonic improvement, Sony includes three unedited takes for the F major, B minor, and F minor Sinfonias that stem from the 1955 Goldberg Variations sessions. Although Gould rejected the recordings, they nevertheless came out on Sony's 2005 deluxe "Birth of a Legend" Goldbergs reissue. Three complete performances of these pieces from the same sessions appear here for the first time. If you've heard Gould's 1955 CBC broadcast of all 15 Sinfonias (CBC PSCD 2005), you'll know to expect more spontaneous and pianistically oriented interpretations than the relatively astringent 1964 remakes. For example, the B minor proves friskier and lighter in touch than the later version, while conversely, the F minor is a little broader, with more melodic inflection and discreet yet ravishing dabs of sustain pedal. God only knows what bells and whistles Sony's next Gould Bach Inventions re-re-re-re-issue may bring. Until then, the present release is the one to get.
– Jed DIstler, ClassicsToday.com
Expanded Edition - Bach: Goldberg Variations (1981) / Gould
This selection contains a track featuring excerpts from Tim Page's 1982 audio interview with Glenn Gould about the 'Goldberg Variations.'
Bach: The Four Great Toccatas & Fugues / E. Power Biggs
This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) remaster.
Expanded Edition - J.s. Bach / Stern, Et Al
This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording
Bach: Mass in B minor
Johann Sebastian Bach: The Collection
BACHIANA
BACH:GROSSE GEISTLICHE CHORMUS
Portrait - Barockmeister Bach & Handel
V2: BACH & SONS
Bach: Cantatas 29, 61 & 140 / Harnoncourt, Concentus Wien
BACH IN BRAZIL
DISCOVER BACH
Himlische Weyhnacht: Festlice Gesange von Luther bis Bach
For 20 years now, Bell’Arte Salzburg has been one of the leading ensembles for period performance practice. For its new album “Himlische Weynacht”, the musicians under the direction of Annegret Siedel went in search of the most impressive and moving works of Luther’s day. Vocal support for Bell’Arte Salzburg in the choral works comes from young soprano Marie Luise Werneburg and the well-known bass Klaus Mertens, two exceptional vocal soloists in this genre. In consort with the ensemble, they perform a highly varied round of festive airs, adding detail to our mental picture of Luther’s time with their musical representation of a Christmas celebration in those days.
