Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Toccata
2. Air
3. Mvt. 1, Allegro
4. Aria
5. Mvt. 1, Allegro Moderato
6. Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Jesu, joy of man's desiring)
7. Mvt. 1, Allegro
8. Bourée I & Bourée II
9. Mvt. 2, Adagio
10. Crucifixus
11. Praeludium
12. Gigue
13. Allegro
14. Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder

Disc 2:

1. Mvt. 1, Allegro
2. Mvt. 2, Largo, ma non tanto
3. Prelude
4. Schafe können sicher weiden (Sheep may safely graze)
5. Mvt. 2, Adagio (excerpt)
6. Mvt. 1, Allegro
7. Pastoral sinfonia
8. Mvt. 2, Andante
9. Menuet
10. Badinerie
11. Siciliano
12. Mvt. 1, Allegro
13. Allemande
14. Gigue
15. Ertöt' uns durch dein' Güte (Sanctify us by thy goodness)
16. Mvt. 2, Largo
17. Mvt. 1, Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59156 in Music
• Released on: 2000-06-13
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.com
It is not possible to fit 36 Bach masterpieces on two CDs, so what Essential Bach does is present individual movements from across a range of the composer's work. The anthology is clearly aimed at the newcomer, and the absence of booklet notes to put the music in context is disappointing. We are only given titles, performers, and what films the extracts have been featured in, from Rollerball to The English Patient.

On the plus side, most if not all of the music is instantly recognizable, by melody if not by name. Everything from the Brandenburg Concertos to "Air on a G String" to the B Minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion is represented. Performances range from 1960 to 1993, encompassing both early instrument and modern orchestra interpretations by a wide variety of forces, including Sir Neville Marriner with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Raymond Leppard leading the English Chamber Orchestra. Given such diversity the result is unavoidably a patchwork, albeit one made from the finest materials, and as such is perhaps best treated as a sampler to aid exploration of the vast legacy of one of the very greatest composers who ever lived. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

Customer Reviews

The greatest composer of all time!
This is truly a splendid collection of works by J.S. Bach. Covering a wide variety of sounds, tempos and textures, there's something here for everyone.

CD 1 begins with a dramatic orchestral version of Toccata in D minor, which is more commonly known as an organ piece. Then it shifts to the soft and soothing sound of Air (Orchestral Suite No. 3), followed by the heavenly melodies of Prelude in C major (a beautifully-played harp solo). Next comes the joyful-sounding Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 (1st movement), followed by a serene piano solo called Aria.

Other highlights on CD 1 include the cinematic-sounding Allegro moderato (Violin Concerto No. 1), the upbeat, richly textured Brandenberg Concerto No. 5 (3rd movement), and the exquisite guitar playing in Bourrees I & II (from Cello Suite No. 3) and Prelude in D minor.

Highlights on CD 2 include the respective 1st movements of Brandenburg Concerto Nos. 2 and 3, the brilliant, uplifting guitar melodies in both Prelude (Lute Suite No. 4) and Gigue (Partita No. 1), the cheerful piano solo in Allegro (Italian Concerto), the touchingly subtle harpsichord playing in Largo (Keyboard Concerto No. 5), and the mesmerizing Organ solo in Allegro (Concerto in A minor for organ).

For me, the only thing that prevents this album from being perfect is the omission of the 3rd movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 and the 1st movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. But it is still well-deserving of a five-star rating.

Quite simply the best sampling of J.S. Bach available.

Exquisite Essential Bach
Value and exquisite sampler of Bach on two CD's at an affordable price. Recorded by the likes primarily of Academy of the St. Martin-in-the-fields, Chicago Sympony, Boston Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra and with virtuoso performers as William Bennett, Heinz Hollinger, Pepe Romero, and Wolfgang Rubsam, one gets treated to wonderful Bach exerpts of all his fantastic breath and depth of chamber, symphony and choral works.

One will have to go to other places to find background on these marvelous compositions as the liner notes only list perfomer and date recorded.

Essential Bach
Great CD with lovely classical music! We now have 3 of the "essential" classical series and enjoy them all.