Customer Reviews

Complete Works of Bach Hanssler Edition Bachakademie 172 CD Box Set

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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Here it is...every surviving work attributed to the extremely prolific J.S. Bach. I've lived with these recordings for over a year now and will likely spend the rest of my life (and beyond, God willing) getting joy and pleasure from them. For a project of this magnitude the quality is at a consistantly high level. Of course, Helmuth Rilling's Cantatas and orchestral works have been getting high praise for some time now, and several of his other recordings (the Magnificat, the Motets, the B Minor Mass, and the Passions) get frequent mention on critical "Want Lists." Other highlights include Robert Levin's "Well Tempered Clavier" played on a multitude of keyboard instruments (organ, various harpsichords, clavichord, and forte-piano) making a rich aural treat from this sometimes austere music, eight volumes dedicated to hymns and chorales that are not connected to (existing) larger works which contain some of Bach's most heart-felt music (imagine the "complete" Orgel-Buchlein, but with words) and some rarely heard but fasinating early harpsichord pieces played with style and flair by Robert Hill. My only complaint is that some of the organ recordings tend towards the slow and weighty side (and could sometimes use more timbral variety). But overall I love this set and I'm not sorry I put off getting the new car and vacation to purchase it!

I offer you two apparently contradictory conclusions: as a Bach lover, I find some of the tempi of some of the pieces, for example the 48 Preludes and Fugues to be far from ideal. The tempo, the speed, is the one that best fits the music, and some of us argue about it for a lifetime. Other works, for various reasons, you might think below par and you might reject them as single items.

Taken as a whole, I would say that you have a definitive collection of some of the best performances of the most accomplished composer the world has ever seen, and the cost of purchase can be balanced out over a lifetime. Bach's music is timeless: unlike most things it doesn't depreciate at all.
The best feature, in my view, is the exuberance of the choral and orchestral passages in the cantatas.

Here it is...every surviving work attributed to the extremely prolific J.S. Bach. I've lived with these recordings for over a year now and will likely spend the rest of my life (and beyond, God willing) getting joy and pleasure from them. For a project of this magnitude the quality is at a consistantly high level. Of course, Helmuth Rilling's Cantatas and orchestral works have been getting high praise for some time now, and several of his other recordings (the Magnificat, the Motets, the B Minor Mass, and the Passions) get frequent mention on critical "Want Lists." Other highlights include Robert Levin's "Well Tempered Clavier" played on a multitude of keyboard instruments (organ, various harpsichords, clavichord, and forte-piano) making a rich aural treat from this sometimes austere music, eight volumes dedicated to hymns and chorales that are not connected to (existing) larger works which contain some of Bach's most heart-felt music (imagine the "complete" Orgel-Buchlein, but with words) and some rarely heard but fasinating early harpsichord pieces played with style and flair by Robert Hill. My only complaint is that some of the organ recording tend towards the slow and weighty side (and could sometimes use more timbral variety). But overall I love these recordings and I'm not sorry I put off getting the new car and vacation to purchase it!

I prefer this set to the Teldec Bach 2000 set because this is not HIP (historic instruments performance). It is performed on modern instruments, including the Flute Sonatas accompanied by piano. A refreshing change. There are many harpsichord recordings for the authentically-minded. The whole set is more consistent in terms of quality level of performance, particularly the organ works (Koopman on Teldec is awful). Orchestras here are lush and warm, not screechy and shrill. I will be listening to this set often; it is the ultimate performance of the most beautiful music ever written.

Sure you could buy individual performances that rate higher, but still this is an excellent set, especially for those who can't stand the Leonhardt-Harnoncourt cycle of Cantatas, which is included in the Bach 2000 complete collection. With respect to that cycle, Jim Svejda noted that Harnoncourt and Leonhards "gleefully take turns mauling the luckless pieces beyond recognition." Svejda noted, however, that the Rilling cycle, which is included here, has "lovely and important things to say." The singers are women instead of boys (which is less authentic, but vastly superior). Penguin stated: "All in all, we have derived much satisfaction in either making or renewing our acquaintance with his cycle, which will suit many collectors in search of a scholarly yet intelligently aware approach with a traditional sound."

Besides the aforementioned Bach 2000 set, your only other choice for a complete set is the Brilliant Classics box, which was, for a long time, only available for 99 Euros on some web sites. It is now available on Amazon.com. That set, while a super bargain, and certainly something to consider for the novice, has not been as well received as the Hanssler set. Like the Bach 2000 set, it also uses period instruments, which I find difficult to listen to when compared to the warmth of modern instrument practice.

As to the other items, these likewise contain some superior performances. For example, The Musical Offering is given the first choice rating by BBC Radio 3, and the English Suites are likewise given high marks. The Harpsichord Concertos are performed on modern instruments and are highly rated by Penguin, as are the Viola da gamba Sonatas, Partitas Nos. 1-6 for harpsichord, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and The Art of Fugue.

The documentation is likewise excellent.

Note that this box is huge (nearly two cubic feet) as the discs are in regular sized jewel cases.

Note also that this contains the same selections as the "Bach Gesamtset in English (Box)," also listed on Amazon. In fact, I can't tell that there is any difference between the two items, except that the sellers seem to price the latter one a couple of hundred dollars cheaper.

...visit here! There are obviously better performances of individual pieces, but on average the quality is impressive. The W-T Klavier preludes and fugue are an unique example of what keyboard instruments can do, the singing in most cantatas is superb, and the Passions are well balanced. You will still love to buy more Bach performances but this set will give you years of pleasure and discovery.

I have played the first 10 volumes of the Cantatas and I have been comparing some other works with other interpretations. I have found Hanssler edition to be technically excellent up to now. Since these recordings are not HIP oriented, I would recommend to buy this set and to look for some HIP recordings of those works that "make the difference" between both conceptual interpretations (e.g. St Mathiew Passion)..

With eight cd players in the house and the vehicles... I am constantly bringing these 172 discs back to the central bookcase from other family members. These things are used, appreciated, and loved. I am very fond of Rilling. The music is as important to me as nature. I thought that the set might stop me from buying more Bach... but no. So many individuals have done their own wonderful work with Bach. But, this will be the heart of it for me until I join Bach... and Glenn Gould. Well, this Bach lover is an atheist, so that just means until I no longer can get to the CD player.

This is an excellent collection through and through.

This is the first time I have ever heard Bach being decribed as a "waste of taxpayers money." Keeping this music alive is certainly not a waste of anyone's money.

If it were possible to release this set without the Cantatas, I think that would be the best value. Performances by Robert Levin, Trevor Pinnock and others are excellent, but having heard recordings of the Cantatas by the likes of John Eliot Gardiner and Ton Koopman, these Cantata performances sound as though the performers know they are in the process of recording Bach's complete oevure. Really, it's a let-down, demonstrating very little inspiration during performance, and on the whole cannot stand represent the rest of the set.

On a sidenote, if you don't like period performances of Bach, you don't like Bach. Treat the composer with some respect and invest in HIP performances of these works if you do buy this set.