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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the one to have., September 7, 1999
This review is from: J. S. Bach: Complete Works for Organ (Audio CD)
This is the third complete cycle of the works of Bach that Marie-Claire Alain has recorded. In the hands of many other artists, that might seem redundant, but she clearly has something new to say. Each piece is played with life and inspiration. The organs and the spaces they are in are gorgeous. The organs are all Baroque instruments, some that Bach may have played and others that are wonderful copies of period instruments. The recording is clean and captures, as much as possible, the feeling of listening to the music in the space. As a teaching or resource tool, this cycle is invaluable. The booklet with each CD includes a description, in French, German and English, of each piece along with the registration that was used. The pieces are easy to find and organized to make listening to a whole CD a delight. Though it doesn't affect the sound quality of the recordings, the packaging is amazing with different, artistic photos of the organs that are played printed on the CDs themselves and on the booklets. I love the way Marie-Claire Alain plays just about everything. She strikes the perfect balance between rythmic integrity and musicality. Her registrations, articulations and interpretations are based in a depth of scholastic knowledge without sounding boring or pedantic. I treasure this set and have never regretted making the purchase.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Monumental Artistry, March 7, 2003
This review is from: J. S. Bach: Complete Works for Organ (Audio CD)
Although I am partial to the Romantic Organ, particularly in the vein of Widor, Vierne and Rheinberger, it all begins with Bach. And in this case, one could say that it all begins with Marie-Claire Alain and her wonderful interpretations. Alain seems to understand that Bach was above all else a religious composer. Many "complete" works of Bach play short shrift with the liturgical works whereas these are some of the most satisfying of the group. The sound is pure sonority, almost perfect, and the technical prowess is just awesome. Out of the millions of notes played, I never heard a miscue or slight jiggle. Still, keyboard wizardry is only part of the story. The registration is a work of art in itself. Alain understand the difference between the Baroque and the Modern, the French and the German and the old and the new. Just as she is a "natural" for Widor or Vierne, she also seems to have entered the Bach mind on some of these. This is a fabulous collection worthy of any serious student of classical music. Nowhere can one derive such satisfaction that listenting to Bach played by Ms. Alain.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not _the best_, but..., May 23, 2001
This review is from: J. S. Bach: Complete Works for Organ (Audio CD)
...In this category, can a true "best" ever emerge? Having said that, I can honestly tell you that this set is magnificent, having owned and enjoyed it since 1997. My only quibbles are that (1) some of Alain's registrations, while at the very least "good," are upstaged in several places by other performers whom I have on recording, and that (2) the recorded sound gives plenty of room to the organs' tones - sometimes _too much_ room, a problem that is also present on Alain's _Art of Fugue_ set, with the result that contrapuntal clarity gets smothered in a sea of reverb in some places (mind you, the "cloud of sound" approach works well with Bach's music, but I prefer clarity). Alain's technique and tempi, on the other hand, are untouchable. The disc with the trio sonatas is particularly good! I actually consider having multiple performances of Bach's music a must - my favorite set is Lionel Rogg's on Harmonia Mundi, but he is, by no means, definitive - and neither is Alain. They complement each other quite nicely!
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