Customer Reviews

Bachbusters

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great CD! I first bought a copy when I was 20 years old, and fell in love with it. Although not a classical music listener, I really enjoy the way Don expresses these classics. He made me realize just how complex Bach's music really is.

And for you high end car audiophiles out there...This CD has the lowest bass ever put on CD. It goes down to 4hz, so don't blow your speakers! Enjoy.

I purchased this album on (gasp!) cassette tape in the early 90's and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thinking it could get no better, I never put forth the effort to pick up the CD. That is until fate intervened on day at a garage sale. Both albums in new condition on CD for a buck each. How could I say no? Oh, my! I can't describe how wonderful Don's works sound in pristine digital audio. It sounded so good in the car that I went home, threw the disc into my system, and promptly smoked the voice coil on my sub. Wow! The clarity, fidelity, and dynamic range are just incredible, and Don's interpretations are just plain fun. From the thundering "Toccata and Fugue" on Bachbusters to the frenzied "Rage over a Lost Penny" on Beethoven or Bust, Don absolutely nails it.

Strict classical music snobs need not apply, but HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all those who enjoy something a little different every now and then!

Anyone who appreciates the music of J.S. Bach will love this CD. Dorsey is truly a master of keyboard instruments, not to mention synthesized music. I've been scowering the Internet for quite a while in search of other computerized Bach renditions, mostly in vain. But there is an album called CYBACH on MP3.com which I would highly recommend. It focuses mostly on organ works, though. My hat goes off to Don Dorsey! Please, keep it up!

I won't insult the other folks who think Mr. Dorsey invented electronic interpretations of Bach music, but I feel compelled to insert here that Wendy Carlos pretty well covered this 40 years ago, and very,very well. The technology back then was much more cumbersome to achieve results too, but Carlos brought all the glory and genius of Bach to the least and most expensive sound systems. Carlos's use of the stereo field was also much more imaginative (if not a little over the top). Dorsey isn't bad, but his versions seem to lack the personality we get from the Carlos body of work when it comes to Bach. There seems to be a lack of expression, or maybe it just sounds too "robotic". I've used a lot of the "modern" technology in sythesizer / sequencer workstations available for the last two decades, and let me tell you, it IS very difficult to NOT sound robotic. But, to each his own. Kudos to Dorsey for his attempts.

Hi, this is a big Classical music listener and collector speaking from Planet Mars, one who you'd think would raise an eyebrow or two at the notion of Saint Bach being tampered with in such a disrespectful manner.

Well, Don Dorsey's Bach is probably not for all tastes, but I find it immensely fun. One, I love transcriptions. They provide a fresh way of listening to the old warhorses. What a transcription does is to offer new, unheard and ear-catching timbral colors, that will rekindle the pleasure of listening to oft-heard pieces - or, because that pleasure doesn't necessarily need to be re-kindled (one never tires of those great compositions), just offer a different kind of pleasure. A transcription is like your wife wearing a new sexy lingerie. It can be garish at times, but what a thrill! I have transcriptions of Bach's Goldbergs for organ, accordion, string trio, string orchestra, overdubbed guitar, two cimbaloms, brass quintet, synthesizer (see my review of New Age Bach: The Goldberg Variations), jazz piano (see The Chess Game Part 1), jazz trio (Jacques Loussier Trio: Bach's Goldberg Variations) - and piano, of course. I'm still missing those for harp and for marimba. I have transcriptions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons for Japanese zithers (The Four Seasons, Water Music Suite, Royal Fireworks Suite (New Koto Ensemble of Tokyo)), brass quintet (Vivaldi: The Four Seasons), recorder ensemble (Vivaldi: Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons) - Arranged for Recorders). Other than providing lots of fun, some of those transcriptions may even be revelatory. With Bach especially, transcriptions of his keyboard works can serve to bring clarity to his many contrapuntal lines, by providing very contrasting colors to each, where they might become blurred with the relative mono-chromaticism of the harpsichord, organ or piano.

And after all transcribing is deeply rooted in the culture of classical music: that's what Bach did with the violin concertos of Vivaldi, that's what Ravel did with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (in that case they call it "orchestration"), that's what Schoenberg did with Brahms' Piano Quartet, and naturally it is what Stokowski did with so many organ works of Bach. And Liszt went the other way around - transcribing every orchestral piece he could, including Beethoven's symphonies and all the famous operas of his days, for piano. And these are only the most famous examples among a host.

I have no problem with a transcription for synthesizer: it is no different from an orchestration, it substitutes new timbres to the original ones, only those timbres are not those of the customary acoustic instruments, but the often outlandish ones produced by the electronic machine, some emulating the acoustic instruments, some more original and proper to electronics. Dorsey's orchestration is imaginative and fun, so the surprise and ear-catching factor is fully there, as well as the clarification of Bach's lines (although the timbres chosen for the different voices are usually chosen from the same "family" of sounds). I may have objected years ago to the rock-band drums in the finale of the Italian Concerto, but not anymore, and the "pop-music" treatment of the Chorale "Jesus, Joy of Man Desiring" I still find rather corny, but so much so that it becomes funny, and it isn't offensive either.

In the category of timbres emulating acoustic instruments, the first movement of Dorsey's Italian Concerto sounds like an electronic harpsichord, or a cross-breed between a harpsichord and a Cagean prepared piano, and the second movement mixes the timbres of harpsichord and guitar, which is nice and probably carefully planned as a way of taking the listener into a journey in another world of sounds. In the second category (purely electronic sounds) Dorsey has a few "outer-space" effects (track 13, three-part invention n° 15, is a typical example, and so is the concluding Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring), but in general his timbres in the harpsichord pieces derive indeed from the harpsichord, as much as they might stray from it through various processes of distortion (try track 11, the three-part invention n° 12, which sounds like an electronic accordion, or track 12, two-part invention n° 15, which would be the dance of the robots) and they are definitely keyboard-derive in the precision of their articulation (transcriptions for strings don't produce the same effect). There is also some quasi-flute in track 10 (Two-part invention n° 12), and some quasi musical saw in track 14 (Canons). And in the organ toccata, he begins with timbres emulating the organ, but soon skids out in more electronic sounds, although the anchoring into the various keyboard instruments - be it organ, harpsichord or accordion (and add electric guitar) - is never lost. In fact, if anything, you could reproach Dorsey for being too respectful and close to the original timbres: it could be argued that, as long as you are going to change Bach's timbres with an electronic machine, you might as well go the full way and REALLY change them. But while this consideration opens the possibility of more daring arrangements for synthesizer, I certainly didn't feel anything was amiss while listening.

Add to that that, if Dorsey played those Bach pieces at the piano or harpsichord, these would be excellent interpretations: lively, dynamic, explosive, imbued with a sense of fun. And the drums add to the excitement. But the point is: this is not just your customary harpsichord or piano version with an "electronic seasoning" over the surface. The electronic timbres are integral to the fun and excitement created by Dorsey's interpretations. The Canons on the first eight notes of the Aria ground from the Goldberg variations can be a very stern and boring affair when played on the harpsichord or piano; with Dorsey, they are irresistible.

So the only regret and a major one is the short TT of 46:47. This is simply not enough of such a fun thing, and it leaves me frustrated.

Don Dorsey is a very nice man as well as a talented electronic-version transcriptionist. "Bachbusters" was the first of his work I had heard (reminds me of another I love, the rarely-heard electronic take on "The Goldberg Variations").

Here Dorsey approaches Bach with all the noise and fury I think Bach would have liked. Some of Carlos' work, though it dates to roughly 20 years earlier, seems awfully limp compared to Dorsey's sonic dreams.

Most moving for me is the tiny little piece, "Diverse Kanons" (that is the title I know). Not too long before Dorsey did this album, some egghead found a previously unknown work by Bach. When I heard Dorsey had done an electronic edition, one of the first to be released of the Kanons, I ran for this album. That is why I went looking for it when it was first released.

I wept when I listened to the Kanons. They are simple, the evolution of a theme of four notes then the same four played backward: a kanon, derived from the Aria of the "Goldberg Variations". Philip Glass learned at the knees of Bach in this case. Dorsey did not hesitate to reply to my correspondence when I asked him if his "Kanons" were the recently discovered Bach work.

Don Dorsey is so nice that he immediately replied to me when I wrote to ask him if the "Diverse Kanons" were the recently discovered ones, an event that does not occur every day. He replied very kindly to me, and I thanked him for having the chutzpah to record them in this way. They are like hearing the genesis of what would be Bach's final work, "The Art of the Fugue".

So, read the available titles--you'll recognize them. Get this and listen to Dorsey's fresh take on the slightly tired (but ever delightful) Carlos. Take off on his space-age rendition of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and weep like I did at the simple beauty of the Kanons. Dorsey distinguished himself for performing it all in real-time (which was referred to back then as "genuine period"), and he does it fantastically well. The cover art's cool too.

Don't neglect the rest of this work. When you've had your fill, grab Dorsey's "Beethoven or Bust", which is full of sparkling humor and is the best electronic Beethoven ever.

Purists may cringe at this but I found this music to be a lot of fun and very entertaining. Italian Concerto sounds wonderful. The sound is fantastic, especially the high end. Mr Dorsey has studied this music very well and it is highly recommended.

Don Dorsey has accomplished a wonderful task with "Bachbusters." Many performers have attempted to update classical music; some have failed and some have succeeded. Dorsey makes this music wonderful to listen to. The "Tocatta and Fugue" sounds enough like the original that classical music lovers will still appreciate it as legitimate, and has enough of a different synthesized sound to hit a younger audience.

My favorite track is "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." It blends perfectly the wonderful melody of the cantata with a popular ballad.

The other tracks remind me of the late Electric Light Parade at DisneyWorld, where Dorsey was the composer. What a thrill to feel young and mature at the same time.

I purchased "Bachbusters" by Don Dorsey in the mid eighties. I had several reasons for doing so. First, Bach is one of my favorite classical composers. Second, I had put together a moderately expensive stereo system and had added a CD player, a fairly new and expensive component at the time. The "Bachbusters" CD was digitally recorded and put out by Telarc, a recording company that catered to audiophiles. I expected a pristine and dramatic recording and got it. "Bachbusters" was excellent and has aged well. It still reigns as one of the favorite discs in my CD collection. Let's put it this way, if this CD had been a standard LP it would have been worn out long ago.

The "Bachbusters" CD came to mind again recently. I have a new baby boy, now eight weeks old. My wife and I purchased a combination mobile/music box for his crib. We use it all the time. We've noticed that the little tyke pays only moderate attention to the somewhat silly mobile, but seems to enjoy the classical selections by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Of the three composers, I'd say he prefers the selections by Bach. Interesting. We're wondering what this might lead to. Well, after listening to this simplified music box for umpteen times, my wife and I are sick of it, and he may be sick of it as well. So I took the kid out into the living room and played some Bach selections for him. He seems to enjoy them, and particularly likes the Don Dorsey disc.

Purists are going to complain about this disc. So what? I think the "Bachbusters" CD is wonderful. I love the "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and use it to impress new visitors with my stereo system. The other selections are quite good, also. I'd say the CD has two contrasting parts. The "Tocatta" is bold and bombastic, and I love it. All of the other selections are relatively soft and melodic, and I love them too. It's an almost incongruent mixture on a single disc. If I had any criticism, I might say that Dorsey should have produced two discs. I'd buy them both, of course.

Gary Peterson

Turn out the lights and turn up the volume. This is like a trip to outer space. Anyone who thinks they already like Bach MUST have this disc.