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."īesides 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. 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). "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. But overall I love this set and I'm not sorry I put off getting the new car and vacation to purchase it!" My only complaint is that some of the organ recordings tend towards the slow and weighty side (and could sometimes use more timbral variety). 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. For a project of this magnitude the quality is at a consistantly high level. 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. "Here it is.every surviving work attributed to the extremely prolific J.S.
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