Documentary on BBC4 last night re: Bach

[MissionBob]

Anyone see this?

I thought it was great stuff altogether. He had such a tough life at times.

The music throughout was stunning and has inspired me to get some more music by him

Problem is there is sooo much. would anyone have any suggestions?

there was one piece I can’t remember the name something along the lines of "passion of St john". It really was intense.

 

[themadlatvian]

Hi Bob,

The St. john passion is indeed wonderful, as is Bach's St Matthew passion also. As to other pieces by him, try the Goldberg Variations, the solo cello suites, Brandenburg Concertos, orchestral suites, Christmas Oratorio and the major organ works. There are several of us here on the Wam who value Bach's music above pretty much all else.

The above list is just a few of the more popular pieces he wrote, there are endless delights in his output - his cantatas for example, not to mention his other instrumental music. Brilliant Classics do a huge box set on hundreds of CDs at a very reasonable price on Amazon, which purports to be his complete works.

:^

 

[MissionBob]

Thanks a million for the response. I must aquire at least a few of these over the coming months. I've been dipping in and out of "classical music" for a few years but over the last 6 months ive developed a real interest thankfully and its really dawned on me how much amazing music has been waiting for me. However, as there is so much, it's difficult to know where to start and little guides/suggestions from people like yourself really help. Thanks again.

 

[DeCameron]

Get the Brandenburg Concertos, I think you'll love them.

 

[MissionBob]

Ok Sounds good. First on the list are the Goldberg variations and the Brandenburg concertos. will pick them up this weekend hopefully.

Any particular performances that ye would recommend that i look out for?

 

[Popey]

Ok Sounds good. First on the list are the Goldberg variations and the Brandenburg concertos. will pick them up this weekend hopefully.Any particular performances that ye would recommend that i look out for?

If you have the means to play downloaded music, then take a look at this: http://www.opengoldbergvariations.org/

it's free to download and they are about to start on the well tempered clavier.The Glenn Gould goldbergs are widely regarded as being a definitive version, though I'm no expert.

 

[MissionBob]

ah good man thank you will have a look at that later! Yes ive heard the Glenn Gould goldberg variations mentioned in a few places so could be the one to check out for the moment.

 

[AmDismal]

Bach often gets the purists going, as they moan that it should be played in certain ways on certain instruments. If you're new to classical, ignore all that fluff and get some of the more approachable recordings:

- Goldbergs, must get, Glenn Gould is great but his humming can get annoying sometimes. I actually quite like Simone Dinnerstein, which is a more modern recording.

- Cello Suites, my favourite Bach. I find Tortelier to be the best balance of performance and recording quality, Yo-Yo Ma has less emotional range but does sombre better than anyone.

- Violin Sonatas and Partitas, I like both Sergey Khachatryan for his amazing emotion and Rachel Podger for her brilliant analysis. Get the former though.

I listen to much less of his orchestral and choral stuff, for some reason. Anyway, buy one of the above every fortnight and give them some time.

 

[MissionBob]

....... and give them some time.

Thanks for the suggestions ! i think what you said above is key these pieces deserve a time to listen and let them sink in. there is just too much detail.

I have glen gould on the way. I am fortunate to have an amazing music library in my home town so i can have a listen to these and decide which id like.

 

[Diapason]

I listen to much less of his orchestral and choral stuff, for some reason.

Probably need to listen to the right performers playing the right way on the right instruments! Put me down as a purist alright, but for me a lot of this music only really comes to life in historically informed performances. I find a lot of the older stuff too ponderous, and Bach always needs to dance. If it drags, it's not for me. Anyway, that's by the by.

OP, you're in for a treat as the very pinnacle of Western Art stands before you (am I over-selling it?!) Just take your time, listen to whatever takes your fancy and build on it. The nice thing is that you can easily sample a few different styles online before committing to anything. I must admit, I find some music "harder" than others, so I personally would find it difficult to dive into the Goldbergs, but lots of people feel differently. I'd definitely recommend everything that's been mentioned, Brandenburgs, Cello Sonatas, etc. I also like the Orchestral Suites and Violin concertos, and it's worth dipping into the B minor mass to see what you think of it. I have recently started to explore the Cantatas too, there's just so much amazing music.

Anyway, take your time, don't worry if you don't "get" stuff straightaway, and just dive in.

 

[MissionBob]

Thanks Simon appreciate the advice. There seems to quite an amount of music there alright. At least i wont have that " i've nothing new to listen to" feeling for a while!!!

 

[MissionBob]

So picked up the Goldberg variations by glen Gould (1955) ,the Brandenburg concerto and St. John's passion. Let the listening commence...

 

[themadlatvian]

So picked up the Goldberg variations by glen Gould (1955) ,the Brandenburg concerto and St. John's passion. Let the listening commence...

A grand start, Bob. Hope you enjoy them.

:^

 

[tones]

This is probably a bit over the top for someone just coming to Bach, but this collection of all the cantatas, both sacred and secular, is impressive for the price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Cantatas-Gachinger-Collegium-Stuttgart/dp/B004K583KA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1386769554&sr=1-1&keywords=bach+cantatas

Bach's desire was for a "well-regulated church music" when he took up what would be his final post of cantor of Leipzig, supplying music for the town's churches. His ambitions frequently brought him into conflict with the Leipzig city fathers, who were not keen on spending the money. We know Bach completed 5 complete cycles of cantatas for the Lutheran church year, a total of around 250 cantatas, of which just under 200 survive. Considering they were occasionally composed at the rate of one a week, the quality was astounding, and there are some absolute gems among them. Some of the most famous are BWV140 ("Sleepers awake"), BWV147 (from which "Jesu, joy of man's desiring comes"), BWV80 ("A mighty fortress is our God"), and BWV4 ("Christ lag in Todesbanden").

Helmuth Rilling and his ensembles recorded all Bach's cantatas over a period of about 20 years. Rilling uses modern instruments and women's voices, which some folk don't prefer, but I personally have no problems with them. Question is, how is the music done? In general, brilliantly. Some of Rilling's interpretations are my favourites.

And here's something very seasonal for free - Gardiner's knockout version of the Christmas Oratorio:

[video=youtube;bFnW_CrPUlA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFnW_CrPUlA

Listen to the finest choir on the planet strut its stuff at 1:35:55 - and just listen to that bass line dance!

 

[Diapason]

Fantastic stuff, Tony. I don't regret a cent I spent on the Gardiner Cantata Box a couple of months ago, it's giving me great pleasure. I also managed to pick up the Gardiner set of Christmas Oratorio, Matthew Passion, John Passion and B minor mass for 8 quid a while back. What a great time to be a classical music collector!

 

[tones]

A couple of bits of Rilling from BWV105 - Arleen Auger's gorgeous rendition of "Wie zittern und wanken":


To my ears, Riling nails them dead right, and not even the beauty of Peter Schreier's voice overcomes this.

 

[MissionBob]

Glen Gould singing along is a new one!

I keep thinking someone is calling me from another room. Distracting ? Annoying? endeering?

It isnt bothering me much i must admit and i reckon its impact will diminish the more i listen.

He is a lovely player though.

 

[themadlatvian]

Glen Gould singing along is a new one! I keep thinking someone is calling me from another room. Distracting ? Annoying? endeering?

It isnt bothering me much i must admit and i reckon its impact will diminish the more i listen.

He is a lovely player though.

You will probably get used to the vocal accompaniments - most people do, though a few stick in the muds object to it - to my mind they are the ones missing out. You might as well argue that Gould shouldn't be using a modern piano, because it is not 'authentic'!

By the way, the 1955 performance is of course very fine. The 1980s version is even more stunning, though perhaps takes a bit more getting used to.

:^

 

[MissionBob]

Thanks again John, I doesnt bother me really, as i said i will probably get used to it and forget about it. If i can listen to and enjoy beat up 78s a little bit of humming is nothing!!

I have seen a vinyl copy of the 1980 version on a local site i might see if i can snag it.