Johann Sebastian Bach
153
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Emerson String Quartet
49
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Emerson String Quartet
24
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Emerson String Quartet
46
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Track Listings

1	Fuga I a 4 voci BWV 846
2	Fuga V a 4 voci BWV 850
3	Fuga XII a 4 voci BWV 857
4	Fuga XIV a 4 voci BWV 859
5	Fuga XVI a 4 voci BWV 861
6	Fuga XVII a 4 voci BWV 862
7	Fuga XVIII a 4 voci BWV 863
8	Fuga XX a 4 voci BWV 865
9	Fuga XXIII a 4 voci BWV 868
10	Fuga XXIV a 4 voci BWV 869
11	Fuga II a 4 voci BWV 871*
12	Fuga V a 4 voci BWV 874*
13	Fuga VII a 4 voci BWV 876*
14	Fuga VIII a 4 voci BWV 877*
15	Fuga IX a 4 voci BWV 878*
16	Fuga XVI a 4 voci BWV 885
17	Fuga XVII a 4 voci BWV 886
18	Fuga XXII a 4 voci BWV 891
19	Fuga XXIII a 4 voci BWV 892
20	Fuga IV a 5 voci BWV 849
21	Fuga XXII a 5 voci BWV 867

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Following its most successful recording, The Art of Fugue, the Emerson String Quartet again dedicates its mastery to the music of J.S. Bach. The quartet, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007, presents the world-premiere recording of the four-part fugues from the famous Well-Tempered Clavier as arranged for string quartet. The Emerson Quartet's 2003 release of The Art of Fugue was a critical and commercial success selling 50,000 units worldwide. Repertoire from this world-premiere recording will be included in the Emerson Quartet's touring program.

Review

"...an extraordinary fusion of experience and authority with audacity and freshness." -- The Boston Globe

"...technically resourceful, musically insightful, cohesive, full of character and always interesting." -- The New York Times

"In The Art of Fugue, the Emerson String Quartet left an overall impression of intelligence and beauty. It is hard to go higher." -- New York Sun

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.88 x 5.59 x 0.47 inches; 3.32 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Deutsche Grammophon
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 3868001
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2008
SPARS Code ‏ : ‎ DDD
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ February 14, 2008
Label ‏ : ‎ Deutsche Grammophon
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0011WMWV6
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #238,153 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #87 in Classical Improvisation
- #88 in Classical Fugues
- #8,906 in Chamber Music (CDs & Vinyl)

Customer Reviews:
17 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

17 global ratings

5 star		72%
4 star		24%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		3%

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Tom Furgas

Bach For String Quartet - What's Not To Like?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 6, 2019

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One can nitpick about these arrangements and performances of Bach on string quartet, but such quibbles are ridiculous in light of the fact that all Bach is glorious and flawless. One has to really botch up a performance to make it unwelcome in this world. And the Emerson Quartet performs these fugues with lyricism and panache. Some tempos are a little to quick, perhaps, but they play them fast because they can, and have them come out perfectly balanced and clear as spring water.
Now, if only some enterprising quartet (maybe the Emersons?) would do arrangements of the French Suites, English Suites, and Partitas! Bach can be arranged for any forces at all and still sound miraculous and nourishing to the soul.

2 people found this helpful

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Neuronz

Transcription of Bach Fuges

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 25, 2011

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Bach's music has fascinated musicians for centuries, leading to innumerable transcriptions. It is not unusual to listen to Bach transcribed for guitar,orchestra, marimba, saxophone and so forth. It is surprising to learn that none other than another musical genius, in this case Mozart, tried his hand at transcribing Bach. He took fugues from the Well Tempered Clavier, those with 3 or 4 voices, and arranged them for string trio or quartet (the 6 preludes and fugues for string trio he transcribed are not part of this recording). This CD contains five of Mozart's transcriptions as well as a number of others, done by a little known contemporary of Mozart's, E.A. Forster. The music is beautifully played; to hear Bach's music in this new garb of string quartet or quintet, is to truly a joy, and gives but yet one more insight into how timeless Bach's music is. I highly recommend this recording.

4 people found this helpful

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Monica Veneziano, Director The Dharmakaya Path, Melrose MA

Bach is always a winner!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 24, 2014

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I am buying all the recordings of the Bach Fugues and each string quartet is slightly different from each other. And every single CD I purchase in this genre is outstanding. Listening to this music calms me, gives me clarity and a sense of the immensity of existence.

3 people found this helpful

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David G. Covell

Emerson Quartet plays Bach Fugues

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 25, 2008

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This is a wonderful transcription of many of Bach's fugues for the keyboard that clearly delineate the several parts in counterpoint, beautifully phrased and played by the masterful Emerson Quartet. The music itself never fatigues and rewards repeated listening--it is so good to be able to hear this music that is so rarely performed in the concert hall.

7 people found this helpful

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Constant Reader

Bach Fugues

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 9, 2009

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The Emerson String Quartet never fails to please, and this CD stays true to the ensemble's history. You'll hear a pleasing selection of Bach fugues beautifully arranged and executed. Great background music for a leisurely Sunday morning.

One person found this helpful

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candideinnc

excellent

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

Next to best of this group. preferred the art of the fugue.

2 people found this helpful

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Music Fan

Buy this disk, but...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 19, 2009

J.S. Bach is, hands down, my all-time favorite composer. The Well-Tempered Clavier is one of my favorite works by Bach. (I have 5 different versions on piano.) The Emerson Quartet are excellent artists. But, as much as this disk belongs in the collection of every Bach lover, I can't give this recording five stars.

At first glance, this project has everything to recommend it. A fugue is a compositional technique that involves the introduction of a melody, and the repetition of the melody in a different 'voice' (say in the bass, rather than in the alto). When this melody, called 'the subject,' recurs it is accompanied by another distinct melody (the 'countersubject'). This process plays out until you have as many anywhere from 2 to 6 to 8, or whatever, distinct melodies playing at the same time. Now, Bach wrote these fugues for a keyboard (clavier). As a listener, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to follow all of the melodies (voices) at the same time in a keyboard performance since the separate voices of melody 'present' as harmony, that is, as the vertical organization of notes. That was Bach's point after all, that superimposed melodies can created harmony and harmonic movement (tension and resolution). So a string quartet performance has the huge advantage of giving each voice (of a 4 voice fugue) to a separate instrument and performer. This performer can shape the melody and alter its dynamics throughout the phrase in a way which not only fits in with the other players but which can be appreciated for itself. In short, you can follow every voice and thereby begin to appreciate Bach's fugues in the way that can otherwise come only through playing these pieces yourself. Thank you Emerson Quartet!

The problem is that as interpretations, these performances are decidedly middle of the road. Everything is smooth and the ensemble is fine, but the Emersons' performances are never gripping or challenging in the manner of a Glenn Gould, or even an Andras Schiff. If these performances were on the piano, I could not recommend them at all. But, I hope other ensembles will pick up the gauntlet that the Emersons have thrown down. EVERY string quartet should record Bach fugues. And there is a whole universe of interpretation that the Emersons unfortunately have only hinted at here.

One final note. I played this disk for a musician friend of mine who immediately pointed out the following irony: This recording of fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier is not played in 'equal temperament.' Recall that the WTC was written to demonstrate the compositional possibilities of 'equal temperament' keyboard tuning. But string players have no need for the approximations of 'equal temperament,' as a result all the chords sound noticeably sweeter here than in keyboard performances. Also, the Emersons have transposed some fugues from their original key signature (F sharp minor, for instance) to others that are more accessible for string players. This is a practice that Bach himself would have approved of. But the sneaky Emersons don't mention which key they have transposed into. The probably kept the keys to a minimum to make things easier, but they wouldn't want to advertise that fact!

16 people found this helpful

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A Reader from

Very Nice Project

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 4, 2008

I really enjoy the interplay between players. These performances facilely brings out WTC's inner structure and makes these interactions three-dimensional. Unlike the Art of Fugue, one can enjoy to hear a variety of subjects and countersubjects. (I understand the Art of Fugue used permutations of a single subject!)

I would have given this recording 5 stars if if weren't for an aural sameness throughout. I understand this sometimes happens when arranging for string instruments, but clearly, I would have liked more dynamics and shading at the performance level. Otherwise, highly recommended.

PS: The present recording features 21 fugues of the famous "48". Perhaps the Emerson would commission the arrangements for the remaining (27) fugues for a future recording...and what about arranging the (48) preludes for string quartet? (Now THAT would be a more of a challenge to pull off!)

My two cents.

13 people found this helpful

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Werlings

Des transcriptions géniales et historiques dans une version de référence

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on April 16, 2019

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S'il est un art dans lequel Bach excellait et était célèbre, à juste titre, c'est bien le contrepoint. Dans le Clavier bien tempéré, 48 préludes et fugues sont ainsi présentés et forment, selon une métaphore usuelle chez les pianistes, l'Ancien Testament de l'oeuvre pour clavier (les 32 sonates de Beethoven formant le Nouveau Testament). Clavier, piano, clavecin... Chacun aura ses préférences. Toujours est-il qu'après la mort de Bach en 1750, son oeuvre ne tombe pas complètement dans l'oubli. Mozart, certes prodige, se forma aussi à l'école de Bach pour ce qui est du contrepoint, transcrivant pour quatuor à cordes certaines fugues du deuxième livre du Calvier bien tempéré, et le travail fut complété par un certain Forster. Ce travail de transcription ne concerne que les fugues.
Le quatuor Emerson a ainsi gravé ces transcriptions sur le présent disqe, et l'enregistrement réalisé à New York est un régal sonore, laissant à chacun des instruments une place également audible. De plus, la séparation des différentes voies des fugues (parfois en duo ou en trio, et même en quintette) offre une lisibilité absolue et l'écriture contrapuntique en devient d'une clarté évidente. Chaque fugue est pourtant toujours caractérisée avec soin. Le coup de coeur va à une fugue transcrite par Mozart, la fugue BWV 878, un moment de grâce et d'intelligence.
Ajoutons une belle notice, et on a là un disque magnifique, pédagogique, voire thérapeutique, un incontournable, une référence qui s'écoute avec bonheur, soit dans le silence et la concentration absolues, soit comme musique pour accompagner le travail intellectuel.

One person found this helpful

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Cliente Amazon

Preciosa versión.

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on August 14, 2018

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Es una buen grabación de un excelente cuarteto. La versión me resulta muy hermosa, con el sonido límpido característico de éste formación y con una interpretación muy precisa de estas fugas. Muy recomendable.

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弦楽四重奏による貴重なフーガ演奏！平均律の別の魅力を聴かせてくれる

Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on August 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

バッハは夥しい数のフーガを作曲したものの、弦楽四重奏による編成のものがない。ピアノ(クラヴィコード？)、オルガン、声楽/弦合奏が殆どであり、例外的に楽器指定のない「フーガの技法」と「音楽のささげもの－六声のリチェルカーレ」が弦で弾かれるくらいである。室内楽を愛するものとして、以前からバッハのフーガを弦楽四重奏で聴きたいと思っていた。その夢をかなえてくれるのがこの盤である。演奏も実に優れていて、各声部の動きが手に取るように分かり、奏者間の音量のバランスもとても良く、各曲の性格も弾き分けられている。バッハのフーガを室内楽として味わう、あるいは平均律の別の魅力を味わいたいと思う方々に、是非お薦めしたい。

ニコラーエワ、シフ、アシュケナージのピアノ演奏を中心に気分に応じて、平均律を聴き分けているが、他のレビュアーの方の仰るとおり、感銘を受けないというのも理解できる。例えば、ニコラーエワが弾く短調フーガの宗教音楽を聴くような深い感動、アシュケナージのノン・レガート対旋律が走り回る中に主旋律が浮き上がるピア二スティックな軽快さなどはなく、プレリュードから繋がる流れも欠けている。しかし、この盤は四人の奏者の絶妙な駆け引きがあり、各声部が豊かで精緻な表情を付け、アンサンブルの楽しみにあふれている点で鍵盤楽器と異なる長所がある。ピアノやハープシコード演奏はひとまず忘れて、全く別の音楽と割り切って聴いてみると誠に魅力的である。

5 people found this helpful

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どヒマなカフェ営業中

企画も面白いし、演奏も抜群に上手い。

Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on May 16, 2012

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しかし…良い《平均律…》の演奏を聴いた時の、名状伏し難い感銘というのは感じられない。

これは、《ゴルトベルク変奏曲》の弦楽合奏版でも全く同じで「美しい演奏なんだが感銘は受けない」んですね…バッハの音楽の一番深い所まで迫り切れてないんだね、多分。

2 people found this helpful

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Bach: Fugues, Arranged for String Quartet

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