Complete 172 CD Set

$1,429.99

Excellence, plain and simple... - This is an excellent collection through and through.This is the first time I have ever heard Bach being decribed as a waste of taxpayers money. Keeping this music alive is certainly not a waste of anyone s money.

Excellent set - 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. 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). 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.Besides 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. It is now available on Amazon.com. That set, while a super bargain, and certainly something to consider for the novice, has not been as well received as the Hanssler set. Like the Bach 2000 set, it also uses period instruments, which I find difficult to listen to when compared to the warmth of modern instrument practice. As to the other items, these likewise contain some superior performances. For example, The Musical Offering is given the first choice rating by BBC Radio 3, and the English Suites are likewise given high marks. The Harpsichord Concertos are performed on modern instruments and are highly rated by Penguin, as are the Viola da gamba Sonatas, Partitas Nos. 1-6 for harpsichord, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and The Art of Fugue.The documentation is likewise excellent.Note that this box is huge (nearly two cubic feet) as the discs are in regular sized jewel cases.Note also that this contains the same selections as the Bach Gesamtset in English (Box), also listed on Amazon. In fact, I can t tell that there is any difference between the two items, except that the sellers seem to price the latter one a couple of hundred dollars cheaper.

The best of the best - I offer you two apparently contradictory conclusions: as a Bach lover, I find some of the tempi of some of the pieces, for example the 48 Preludes and Fugues to be far from ideal. The tempo, the speed, is the one that best fits the music, and some of us argue about it for a lifetime. Other works, for various reasons, you might think below par and you might reject them as single items.Taken as a whole, I would say that you have a definitive collection of some of the best performances of the most accomplished composer the world has ever seen, and the cost of purchase can be balanced out over a lifetime. Bach s music is timeless: unlike most things it doesn t depreciate at all.The best feature, in my view, is the exuberance of the choral and orchestral passages in the cantatas.

If you love Bach... - ...visit here! There are obviously better performances of individual pieces, but on average the quality is impressive. The W-T Klavier preludes and fugue are an unique example of what keyboard instruments can do, the singing in most cantatas is superb, and the Passions are well balanced. You will still love to buy more Bach performances but this set will give you years of pleasure and discovery.

Food, clothing, shelter, ...and these discs - With eight cd players in the house and the vehicles... I am constantly bringing these 172 discs back to the central bookcase from other family members. These things are used, appreciated, and loved. I am very fond of Rilling. The music is as important to me as nature. I thought that the set might stop me from buying more Bach... but no. So many individuals have done their own wonderful work with Bach. But, this will be the heart of it for me until I join Bach... and Glenn Gould. Well, this Bach lover is an atheist, so that just means until I no longer can get to the CD player.