Some Bach highlights
So, a few weeks ago my mother told me she had some music vouchers - more than she could really spend at her favourite local music store in Muswell Hill. ‘What would you like?’, she asked. I replied that I quite liked Bach, and thought nothing more about it.
About a week later, some Bach arrived. Actually, it ALL arrived: everything Mr. J.S. ever wrote. I have therefore been working my way through the 155 CDs in the rather large presentation box (a box which says ‘Bach Edition, Complete Works/Gesamtwerk/L’Oeuvre Integrale’), and have been listening to quite a bit I have never head before. Since a lot of people like Bach, I thought I would list my favourites in Mr. J.S.’s work, in no particular order other than the order I listened to them and then wrote them down. I’ve included the usual BWV numbers, and the version I heard (i.e. the artists, and instrument if appropriate). Some of the pieces are ‘classics’, whilst the others I just like; I hope you like them too.
- French Suite No.2 C Moll (BWV 813) - Harpsichord, Joseph Payne
- French Suite No. 4 Es Dur (BWV 815) - Harpsichord, Joseph Payne
- Toccata E Moll (BWV 914) - Harpsichord, Menno Van Delft
- Suite for Lute E Moll (BWV 996), Gigue - Jakob Lindberg
- Suite for Lute C Moll (BWV 997), Sarabande - Jakob Lindberg
- St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244): ‘Kommt, ihr Toechter’, ‘Ich will hier bei dir stehen’, ‘So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen’ - Emma Kirkby et al. with the Choirs of King’s and Jesus College, and the Brandenburg Consort, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. This is a very good version, with good pace.
- Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and B.C. D Moll (BWV 1060) - the whole piece is very good. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend a recording of this one. Both of mine are poor!
I will almost certainly add more to this list later. I am still listening to the CDs.