| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Bach 2000: The Complete Bach Edition - Sampler |  | |
Bach 2000: The Complete Bach Edition - Sampler
J.S. Bach's fascination with numbers has been taken over by the music world at large as--in alignment with the new millennium--it prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the composer's death, which occurred in July 1750. Though his passing marked the sunset of one of the most glorious eras in music, awareness of the value of Bach's enormous legacy has never been more widespread than in our own time. As evidence, just take the spectrum of recordings scheduled to honor the Bach anniversary. This sampler offers a glimpse of the most ambitious of them all: Teldec's Bach 2000 box set, a 153-CD mountain of music consisting of the composer's entire output of over 1,000 works. The majority of these recordings have been previously released over the last several decades in various guises, but for the first time they are being gathered into a unified edition. Its guiding spirit is Nikolaus Harnoncourt, one of the pioneers of the revolution in historical performance practice, and he is similarly represented in 8 of the sampler's 18 selections. Among the other artists to savor here--and at beguiling length in the full set--are Harnoncourt's early-music ally Gustav Leonhardt, eloquent violinist Thomas Zehetmair, Il Giardino Armonico, and organist Ton Koopman (in a majestically architectural account of the D Minor Toccata and Fugue). And even though at 77 minutes this is just 1/150th of the whole Bach, you don't need to do the math to be swept away in pleasure. --Thomas May
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
Price Range: $3.99 - $6.98
 Bach 2000: The Complete Bach Edition - Sampler
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| User Reviews |  | Might be hard to find, but...
rating: 4
This is a great and relatively inexpensive introduction to the world of Bach. If you know nothing about Bach, the tunes on this disc will wake you up to just how influential and necessary he is in the history of classical music. "It all started with Bach" is not too extreme a position to take, especially if you follow up this recording with a listen to the complete Mass in B Minor, or the St.Matthew Passion or St.John's Passion, or some of his Cantatas. You'll suddenly realize that you've been listening to Bach your entire life.This disc may now be hard to find because it was probably meant for limited release as a "teaser" for the Bach 2000 bajillion disc set. Nonetheless, if you can get it it's a good buy, especially since the accompanying booklet includes biographical info and other tidbits. Be warned, though, the world of Bach's music is enormous and may take over your life (not to mention the physical hazard of being crushed by the Bach 2000 boxed set).
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Jolly "old" St. Nik-Harnoncourt and his elves
rating: 4
At first I was a bit dissapointed when I ripped off the plastic wrapping, because it bothers me to have a disc without the standard jewl case. I am a bit familar with Ton Koopman, but the Toccata and Fugue wasn't "da bomb" for two reasons: He uses the same registration, I will pardon him if the design of the organ would not let you change stops in a hurry. His ornamentation is a bit exagerated, and amusing to the point of obserdady (pardon the spelling, or typing)but, nevertheless it is a good recording, and wonderful playing. Cantata 147 was played at a rather fast tempo (about 92). The lute harpsichord peice seems to technically be a bad recording. Track #18's pauken part is so loud you the listener can barely hear the trompetes and floten. All in all I am quite pleased that I own this CD and it is a good highlight of Bach's works. I must say that I probably won't buy the Teldec complete set, but you never know!
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Review
rating: 5
I didn't have enough money to buy the 151 CD set, but I did have enough to buy the sampler. This CD probably has the best version of "Toccata and Fuge in D minor" that I've ever heard. One can literally feel each chord flowing through their veins. My other favories are "Suite in C minor" and "Trio Sonata in G major". Well worth the [discounted] price, and a good introduction to Bach's music.
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Bach 2000 in a nutshell.
rating: 4
For the price, this is worth the money just for a "Best of Bach" sampler CD (that's why I originally bought it.) and it sounds nice, and it's Bach. What is more to be said?However, as stated in the liner notes, the performances were created with the intention to sound the way scholers believe that they would have sounded in Bach's time. So, this means not only period instruments, but also these works sound much different that the Bach most of us are accustomed to hearing. Personally, I prefer the modern sound of bach over the hardcore baroque - the works here sound a bit more restrained than the Bach that many of us have come to know and love. I for one prefer the more modern Bach that artists such as Glenn Gould, Virgil Fox and others have presented to us. This is worth a listen, though, and if you are considering purchasing some or all of the Bach 2000 CDs, you definitely should sample this CD first to determine if the set is for you.
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An Intro To The Complete Bach Edition Bach 2000 Sampler
rating: 4
I think it is an excellent introduction to Bach. Although I have always liked him, I've never purchased recordings of his work(s). I have to admit- it has me looking for more recordings. Nice- and the recordings are crisp and clear (even on my old player). I recommend it highly!
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Bach 2000: The Complete Bach Edition - Sampler
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