Track Listing

1. Toccata in D Minor for Organ
2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F (I. Allegro)
3. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G (I. Allegro)
4. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D (II. Affetuoso)
5. Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor (I. Vivace)
6. Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor (II. Adagio)
7. Violin Concerto No. 1 in a Minor (I. Allegro)
8. Violin Concerto No. 2 in E (I. Allegro)
9. Magnificat in D (Magnificat)
10. Magnificat in D (Deposuit Potentes)
11. Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (Prelude 1)
12. Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in C (II. Adagio)
13. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor (II. Adagio)
14. Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in a Minor (First MVT.)
15. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
16. Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C (II. Adagio)
17. Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin (Prelude)
18. 2-Part Invention (No. 8 in F)
19. Wachet Auf (Sleepers Awake)
20. Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G (III. Presto)
21. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F (III. Allegro Assai)
22. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D (III. Allegro)
23. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor (VII. Badinerie)
24. Mass in B Minor (Gloria)
25. Mass in B Minor (Dona Nobis Pacem)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1849 in Music
• Released on: 1996-08-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

Good Introduction To Bach
This CD is a good introduction to Johann Sebastian Bach at an extremely attractive price. The bulk of the performances featured are from the Mainz Chamber Orchestra, and the musicianship is generally competent, although there is occasionally a weakness in the horn section, particularly notable during the "Mass in B Minor." Still, the performances are pleasant to listen to, and will definitely accomplish the goal of this CD, which is to expose people to a sampling of Bach's works and make it a positive experience.

Musical selection here is interesting, ranging from pieces that nearly everyone has heard, to pieces that are relatively obscure. The best known piece on the CD is without question the "Toccata And Fugue In D Minor," a work for organ that was popularized in Hollywood ("Fantasia" and "Dracula") and is so embedded in American culture as a "horror" theme that it can still be seen on late night television, especially around Halloween. My favorite works on the CD are the "Brandenburg Concerto" excerpts (especially the magnificent "Brandenburg Concerto Number 3 in G," perhaps the most beautiful composition to emerge from the Baroque period), the delicate "Orchestral Suite Number 2 in B Minor," and the "Violin Concerto Number 2 in E." Also well represented for a sampler of this size are several works for harpsichords, of which Bach was the undisputed master.

In general I like the "25 Favorites" series, as they are inexpensive and let listeners explore different composers and musical styles at an extremely affordable price, although the quality does vary between the individual CDs; the Bach CD is better than the Beethoven offering, which is choppy and inconsistent, but not quite up to the Mozart CD, which seems more well-rounded. In general this is a great CD to expose a new listener to Bach, or to simply have handy for pleasure listening. I gave the disc four stars instead of five because most of the works here are edited for time (25 songs in 77 minutes only gives around three minutes for each track), which, while not generally glaring, does detract from the works as originally written.

If you are curious about Bach, this is a good CD to make the introduction.

Excellent for a Beginner
If you are just entering the realm of Classical music and want to get a good sample of the variety of music J.S. Bach created, this is an excellent first album. The price tag ensures you won't break the bank, and the quality of the recordings is acceptable for a discriminating listener.

The album contains a wide variety of pieces that range from lively to somber, playful to majestic, and simple to complex. I rated the album four stars because as it states on the case, the tracks have been "edited" for easy listening.. in that they are either just movements from an entire work, or shortened. (The pieces do not cut off abruptly.) Even so, I found this to be a great introductory album.

Back To Bach: 25 Smash Hits
Johann Sebastian Bach, without a doubt in any music scholar's mind, was the greatest composer of the Baroque Period. His flair for instrumental music was rich, melodic and grand. He mastered everything that could possibly be mastered as far as Baroque musical convention- except for opera. Had Bach also taken an interest in writing music for operas, like George Frederic Handel did, he would have gone above and beyond. This collection is affordable and offers you 25 of his musical works that best depicts his style. The compilation album is one in the many series of "25 Favorites". Others include 25 Handel favorites, 25 Vivaldi Favorites, 25 Mozart Favorites, 25 Beethoven favorites, 25 Tchaikovsky favorites, 25 Dance Favorites and 25 Opera Favorites.

The album opens with the famous Toccata And Fugue In D Minor, originally a work for the organ. It was later re-made into a work for full orchestra. The conductor Leopold Stokowski popularized the music in Disney's Fantasia 1940. The "evil" sound of the ominous organ, particularily the opening toccata, was featured in the original 1930's "Dracula". It is still regarded as a sort of Halloween anthem. The toccata, strongly accented, is followed by a lyrical fugue which he builds on later to a dramatic crescendo and finale. This was Bach's specialty- counterpoint; many melodies being played at once. Also worth noticing is that Baroque music always ended in a decidely dramatic major chord because it was thought to really be the right way to end a piece of music. Bach could never imagine closing his music in pianissimo or a minor chord because it would seem unfinished. The rest of this album features Bach's Brandenburg concerti excerpts, Organ Prelude, Well-Tempered Clavier keyboard music, works for chorus Magnificat and Mass in B, Violin Concertos 1 and 2 and Harpsichord concertos. The Mainz Chamber Orchestra, which is mostly featured on here, may not be the most talented or perfect Baroque performers, but they do deliver a splendid job. If anything, this cd should get you hooked into Bach.