Customer Reviews

Parkening plays Bach

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't over-exaggerate the impact this album had on me when my Dad played it for me when I was about 6. It encouraged me to become a guitarist, and hearing it was my first truly profound musical experience that I can remember.

I love all kinds of music, but nothing has touched me like this album in the 19 years since then. Parkening's reading of Bach arranged for the classical guitar is flawless on this recording; no one, not even his mentor has matched it.

"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", "Sheep May Safely Graze" and especially "Sleepers Awake" are the best renditions of these songs that I've heard, regardless of the arrangement. His control and dynamics are just staggering.

I can't explain where this album or music came from. It's my absolute favourite album. It's part of human evolution and the continually unfolding Great Work.

The music of J. S. Bach seems to bring out the best in Christopher Parkening. Mr. Parkening understands Bach, and plays his music with grace, intelligence and sensitivity. He displays those qualities magnificently on this collection.

The selections here represent a wide variety of Bach pieces: portions of cantatas, solo cello works, and pieces from the Well-Tempered Clavier. All of the pieces are transcribed skillfully for solo guitar, and every track flows naturally into the next. Standouts among the Bach pieces include "Sheep May Safely Graze" and "Sleepers Awake"--two meditative cantata selections which were so brilliantly arranged and performed that you'd almost think they were originally written for guitar.

And the additional baroque works presented here are not just "filler." Mr. Parkening gives stunning performances of great pieces composed by baroque giants like Handel, and he closes the recording in great style, with a passionate performance of Scarlatti.

Music doesn't get more enjoyable than this.

The are times when the musician, the composer, and the instrument just match perfectly; this disc is an example of that.

Nevermind that Bach never wrote a single note for the guitar, many of his pieces actually work better on the guitar than they would the clavier. The guitar provides much more opportunity for the musician to impart emotion by varying volume and tone. And Parkening capitalizes on that opportunity beautifully.

His playing is clean, thoughtful, and competent. This is, in my opinion, clearly Parkening's best recording. I highly recommend it. (I also recommend his In the Spanish Style, another of my favorites).

I have loved this recording for over 20 years. I had it on vinyl and was thrilled when it was released in 1985 onto CD along with 6 extra cuts. Originally a Bach interpretive LP of 10 tracks, the CD release added 6 compositions from Couperin, Handel, Weiss, Scarlatti and Visee.

This is now a rare recording, so get it while you can. It's peaceful, highly skilled and simply Christopher Parkening, playing bare and alone, and shining like the sterling musician he is!

I bought this recording mostly based on the review by Darol Anger (a musician I greatly respect) here. This record is a coincidence of two genuises: Bach and Parkening. Being a guitar player, I am somewhat biased; but I think these are some of the finest renditions of Bach ever recorded.

Parkening's playing is so perfectly suited to these pieces. He makes devilishly difficult pieces sound effortless and sublime. His control and artistry are supreme. Sometimes Parkening's playing, on a few tracks on OTHER recordings, seems a little over-the-top. Not here. He seems to be restrained by the spirit of JSB and plays these pieces so sensatively without getting too loose. Wonderful stuff.

Like Mr. Anger says: a desert island CD.

Bach is the most sublime of musicians and Parkening has the greatest soul for the classical guitar.

Luther was right about music...

I have owned this record since 1972, and it still gets played regularly. The combination of Bach and Parkening equals one of the most sublime musical experiences possible. This recording is a "desert Island" choice, and has stayed in the top 5 for me for 28 years.

I bought this album in the late 80's and practically wore it out. Parkenings technique and tone for the time were remarkable. Certainly on a par with Breem and Williams. His Jesu, I think might be the best ever recorded. A reviewer mentions his spirituality and reverance for both the guitar and God. In Parkening's case it's obvious the two go hand in hand. Clearly time has marched on and there are many newcomers who are marking their territory with different and dynamic approaches to the classics. But at the time this album was made, no one on the planet was in the same building as Parkening.

Most of the reviewers have said (and better than I can) what makes this album so special. I remember having this on cassette and wearing it out. People who have no interest (and sometimes I can't blame them...) in classical music might grow fond of this if they give it a try. You don't need any kind of background or knowledge, just a willingness to open your heart and ears to something so sublime it is beyond words. Bach is our true musical spiritual leader!

The fluidity and tonal control Mr. Parkening displays in these pieces is ASTOUNDING and an absolute joy to listen to. I have been listening to these recordings for almost 20 years and I continue to love them. If you have any interest in classical guitar this record is a must have.