Customer Reviews

Bach Edition: Complete Works (155 CD Box Set)

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is an amazing bargain, and if you are tempted you need not hesitate. However it is far from uniformly excellent.

The core of the set is the complete religious cantatas. There are 60 cd of these. This is done by a small Dutch group, and the results are mixed. The choir is generally good, as is the small orchestra, but sometimes the soloists are not. I like them overall. Above all they are small scale performances. Don't expect John Elliot Gardiner.

With the major vocal works -- passions, B minor, etc -- the recordings are uniformly good, with usually big name groups. No worries here. The secular cantatas are also very good.

The harpsichord music is again a bit uneven, but mostly good. This won't be a favorite WTC, but it is quite listenable. The French, Englis suites, and partitas & inventions are very good indeed. The recorded sound is outstanding throughout.

The organ survey is first rate.

The instrumental music is also a mixed bag. The chamber music fares better than the orchestral, but the suites are quite good. The harpsichord concerti are beautifully recorded but at such a slow tempo I can only call them weird.

[...]This Bach set is an amazing bargain. Clearly the set is geared towards the novice and you'll want to replace individual performances eventually; but much of this material is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere (except as part of one of the two other Complete Bach cycles), and you'd be unlikely to anyway. Plus, there are many very good performances, which alone would make the set worthwhile at this price.

As far as I am concerned, the Hanssler Classics complete set is the best of the complete sets. I've reviewed that one separately. However, it is ten times more expensive, if you can even find it. Your other choice, the Bach 2000 set, contains the Leonhardt-Harnoncourt cycle of Cantatas, which I cannot stand. I agree with Jim Svejda when he noted that Harnoncourt and Leonhards "gleefully take turns mauling the luckless pieces beyond recognition."

One of the saddest facts of musical history is that Bach was not recognized for the genius that he was in his lifetime. His compositions were mostly occasional music that were played once. After his death, they were so little respected that much of the sheet music was sold for scrap paper and about a third of the Cantatas were lost forever. Fortunately we have what we do. That Brilliant Classics has made this wonderful music available at a price that allows a more widespread distribution makes it reason enough to purchase the set.

Brilliant Classics attempted to record the entirety of Bach's remaining compositions on period instruments utilizing the most recent Bach scholarship. 65% of the set are new recordings. The other 35% were licensed from other lables. Now some, like me, much prefer the recordings on modern instruments. I have yet to hear a harpsichord rendition of the Goldberg Variations that is superior to the top performances on piano (although it is a well-known fact that Bach hated the piano, which during his lifetime was little more than a toy). All of the keyboard works on this set are recorded on harpsichord. Pieter-Jan Belder records that Goldberg Variations. It has received fine reviews, but I simply cannot get beyond my prejudices against the harpsichord to comment meaningfully (it is quite lively, though).

That said, and with the reservation that this set is performed with nearly all period instruments, I can recommend it without hesitation at this price.

The Brilliant Classics set has an interesting history. It is based on 5-disc sets of the Cantatas sold at the Krudivat drug store chain in the Netherlands at bargain basement prices (the equivalent of pennies per Cantata). More than 100,000 sets were sold in the Netherlands alone. Pieter Jan Leusink, conductor of Holland Boys Choir and Netherlands Bach Collegium, recorded the Cantatas over a period of 15 months, an insanely short period of time. It is the first digital recording of the Cantatas. There is a consistency of performers in this cycle that is unrivaled, although not all of the performers performed at the same time. Also I find the women singers on the Rilling cycle of Cantatas better than anything a choir of boys can do, despite the unhistorical aspect of such. I doubt that female singers would have shocked Bach--after all, he married one. An interview with Leusink regarding the cycle can be found online.

I will not give it 5 stars because they are not all definitive recordings of the works. However, I was very surprised with the performance level of the entire set. The organ works are amazing as are the cantatas! And I don't mean good... I mean really good! Some of the harpsichord recordings sound like someone sight reading (and not all that well), and lack that fresh excitement of a truly great recording but they are technically accurate for the most part (tempos tend to get a little shaky around difficult passages and phrase endings, something that is not written in the music) See the Well-Tempered Clavier in this set to see what I am talking about. There are a few other flaws... Mainly in recording... For example (I'll take a popular work): The organ fugue in G minor BWV 578 "Little Fugue" is surrounded with noises... Almost like the sound of footsteps on a stage (see 1:06, 2:29, 2:53 and 2:39 in this piece). However, I believe it is the sound of the air pump re-filling the organ with air! Very cool for authenticity and period sound... Definitely not needed for these recordings. We get the point with the instrumentation; I don't need an auditory time machine to recreate the moment in full. Next they will add the sounds of the people in the church chatting in 18th century German. Please... Just the music! I am glad that the recordings are all done with period instruments though and great care (almost too much) was taken in authenticity. Don't get me wrong; I didn't toss out my Andras Schiff Inventions or my modern orchestra versions of his works. Quite the contrary... You can learn a lot about the music by listening to all versions. That's not a shot at the purists... Well, maybe it is. I mean if you only had period versions of Beethoven's symphonies, he would be trampled over by Mahler, Bruckner and the rest of the gang. That's a fact. But in the case of Bach, it is almost essential that you maintain the original instrumentation. Bach's music is so based on the relationship between voices and the subtlest of contrapuntal ideals. He is not a sculptor of sound, as Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms were, but more like a musical acrobat that can do summersaults on a wire an inch thick.
I could go into details, but it would take hundreds of pages! Just get it, and "spend the rest of your life with Bach"... I can't say anything more profound.
This set of 155 CDs is a true delight, and a great investment for the dedicated music fan. Plus, it looks awesome on your CD shelf.

I can't say enough good things about this compilation of the complete works of JS Bach. Just a set of the complete organ music of Bach or the complete cantatas often costs more than this entire 155 CD set of all Bach's music. All of it! Most of the performances are at least good, many are excellent, and some are even superlative. And the sound is excellent throughout.

I have admired the Fagius performances of the organ music even before buying this set, having already heard some of his recordings. These alone, incorporated in 17 packed CDs, are worth the price of the set. All 200+ sacred catatas are spread over 60 disks. For me, this has been the highlight because the performers seem to be having such a good time doing the music. It's fun to just pick a number, find it, and enjoy the music.

Brilliant Classics has treated us to a real musical banquet. Enjoy the feast!

Well, the price was too good to pass up! And though I've not listened to it all, I've sampled numerous parts of each section. I've not been disappointed by any of the instrumental works--good cheeky period-instrument performances that rank with any of the higher-priced, better known groups. The lute suites are a revelation, since most of us are familiar with them only in guitar versions. The harpsichord concerti are remarkably well-balanced, solo instrument(s) to orchestra--something that is not always the case. I must confess that--as a composer--I've always preferred Bach solo keyboard works on the modern piano (if played in a clean manner, such as Schiff or even the classic Gould) because the counterpoint is better revealed. But any music lover should have both harpsichord and piano versions of these works anyway. The cantatas are generally well-performed; they do have a small "provincial" feel about them, but in a way that adds a charmingly earnest quality to them. The organ works are well played.
The set is very well laid out, making finding a disc easy. The CD included with notes and texts is a bit of a pain in the butt to use. I suggest that anyone ordering the set (and any music-lover should) also look for a copy of the Oxford Composer Companions series J.S. Bach, ed. Malcolm Boyd.

This comprehensive collection of all known Bach works is simultaneously the easiest and the most difficult set to review. "Easiest" because in a single set of some 150 CD's, one immediately has the entire Bach repertoire at one's hands, with the majority of individual recordings consisting of solid performances and good recording quality. "Difficult" because, due to the sheer number of performances, it would take many pages to individually and meaningfully write up a description that accurately conveys the range of entries within the set. But in a sense, this entirely misses the point. It is simply impossible to understate what Brilliant Classics has done for the classical music world with the release of a set like this. For the first time, one can own a comprehensive Bach collection for little more than the price of a single, good restaurant meal for two people. The fact can hardly be overstated: this set makes acquiring such a collection no longer the domain of only the wealthiest amongst us. This is most certainly the "democratization" of classical baroque music.

Over the years, I have certainly spent what often feels like exorbitant amounts of money on individual, and sometimes, box sets, of classical music. There is no denying the human skill possessed at the major recording labels, including experiential knowledge of the proper placement of microphones, the best mixing techniques, the optimal types of equipment selected for use, and then, of course, access to the world's greatest performers. We would never wish to lose that combination of talent, and there is no attempt here at minimizing either the value or the enjoyment that can be experienced through such endeavors. Quite the contrary. Such undertakings are both an art form and a technical skill that provides immense value to the world at large. And we should give kudos to those major labels who in recent years have begun to reissue classic records in box sets at much lower prices (Detusche Grammophon's "Collector's Editions" immediately comes to mind, as well as Philip's "Duo Series," and many others, not the least of which also includes Philip's recent reissue of the "Complete Mozart Edition.") But what we have here completely surpasses these in every respect, and opens up new possibilities for the average listener who does not have mountains of disposable income to put towards the acquisition of a classical music collection. There can be no question in my own mind that the people who put this set together did it far more for the sake of classical music as an art form rather than a money-making exercise. It is truly a meaningful contribution to the music world at large.

And what of the quality of the performances and the recordings? For the discs which I have already played, there are simply no real disappointments here. Some of the performances are on par with the "best of the best," and many of them are absolutely gorgeous. With a set this large, it is beneficial to read the multiple reviews individuals are posting to get a better sampling of the various sections of the overall set, but I've been quite pleased with what I've heard so far. I will likely update this post with more specific comments over time, but for now, let me just say that you should BUY THE THING BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS. You won't regret it, will probably be increasingly pleased over the years that you did, and hopefully will receive many years of enjoyment from the collection. Ten stars out of five, but even more important than that, a genuine "Thank you" to Brilliant Classics for what they have done for all of us here.

I just received this set this evening and have listened to three CDs chosen at random. The first was Bach's parody of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. The second was works for the organ and the third, an hour of cantatas.

Given that Bach is by far my favorite composer, and that I prefer performances on period instruments, I am much more than impressed with what I have heard so far. The quality is at least as good as the Bach recordings that I have purchased individually-the performances are more than competent.

Normally I would wait longer to review a purchase, but it will take at least a couple of months to listen to the entire set, and I am very pleased already. I am especially excited about listening to some of the harpsichord pieces that I have never heard before.

The price, which breaks down to about seventy cents per CD, is astounding. The value here is huge. This set is selling for about six or seven percent of what it is worth. It is great that the entire panorama of Bach's music has been made available and accessible.

UPDATE: Wish I had checked the price on Amazon.UK, which sells it for about twenty dollars less, including delivery, making it about fifty-five cents per disc. That would make it a bargain even if it were a mish-mash of outdated, mediocre performances, which it is not. The quality of the performances is consistently good. It is wonderful to listen to works by Bach that I had never heard before.

UPDATE #2: Okay, after just under a month, I must say this is the best value for any sort of entertainment I have experienced in my entire life. No joke. If you like Bach on period instruments, buy this. I still stand by my statement that the quality is consistently good. There is a wide variety of musicians and vocalists, and that's a plus, because 155 CDs of the same performers would get stale. I love this set! Thank you to everyone involved in creating it. My only regret is that this was not available twenty years ago.

We have now purchased three of these wonderful compilations of Bach's works - one each for our winter and summer homes and one for a friend. The collection has so far given many hours of musical pleasure and the pleasure of knowing that there are many more hours to come.

We started our listening with the d Chaconne for unaccompanied violin. The performance of this great work rivals the greatest performances we have heard. It is articulate, technically superb and the musical interpretation transcends the limitations of early music performance practice. Listening to other of the single instrument works, concerti and contatas has further underscored the excellence of this collection.

One of the nicest aspects of the collection is its presentation. Having Bach in a box is like reaching for a Whitman's chocolate - convenient and pleasurable. Though we already have thousands of classical CDs, vinyl records and tapes, we consider this collection to be a major component of our musical library. And best of all, in order to listen to the entire set, without overBaching ourselves, we will have this pleasure for many years to come.

Annnandrome

I highly recommend this set. First the production of this set is excellent. The CDs are very well organized in sleeves which are numbered, color matched by musical types, and well notated in as to the contents and performers. Unlike some other bargain CD sets, the CDs in this set are very solid with some heft to them, rather then unsubstantial flimsy disk one sometimes gets. The sound? Uniformly outstanding, especially for the keyboard works and Cantatas. The organist Fagiu is truly great in the organ works. The Cantatas are VERY satisfying, with some outstanding soloist to be heard. Cantata 51 is to be found in this set, contrary to what another reviewer has said. The other instrumental works are very well performed. More often then not, they come very close to the best performances which are available elsewhere. One can not go wrong with this set. At the asking price, it is an absolute steal. Four and one half stars overall for the performances, six, if it were possible, for the price, so I will rate this set as a solid five.

Update - I have revised this review now that months later I have heard most of the set. With increased listening, I have grown more fond of the performances of the Cantatas. They definitely give much more expensive sets the run for the money. Can't afford the John Gardiner cycle? Get this Bach collection instead, you will not be disappointed.

Simply awesome. Not only is it a ridiculously good bargain at under $1 per CD (prior to this I was considering another complete Bach set for 8x the price), but to my surprise these are some of my favorite recordings ever. Holland has become sort of an epicenter of Bach these days, and this Dutch group does not disappoint.

The recording quality is excellent, and what I especially love in the cantatas is the authentic singing: no annoying overblown vibrato or modern rubato thrown in, just pure, sweet, golden tone. And I love the smaller orchestrations, you can really hear each individual line so clearly. I absolutely adore this box set, I think no household should be without it!