Thread: Johann Sebastian Bach

Does anyone know whats his best album? I have just listen to his Air piece and its amazing, so I'm hoping to get some of his best albums.

Sorry, there is no best album. He has over a thousand works to his credit, and they are from virtually every genre of his time.(Of course, some of the pieces are just different arrangements of the same "thing.") And you can imagine the number of performers playing and recording these pieces over the years. If you want to get a complete set of works, Brilliant Classics has released a 155 CD set of all of his works. That should serve you as a good introduction to the man's music.

OTOH, there's always YouTube to sample the works first. Here are some search words (use them along with 'Bach'): cello suite, goldberg variations, glenn gould, tocatta and fugue, english suite, french suite, well-tempered clavier, partitia, partita for solo violin, sonata for solo violin, brandenburg concerto, violin concerto, mass in b minor, st.mattew's passion, st.john's passion, cantata, the art of fugue (check out contrapunctus No.9 with the Emerson String Quartet).

His best album consists of his entire works, which I recommend highly . You can buy it for $100 on Ebay; just do a search for [bach 155] - it is a 155 CD box. An excellent introduction to his music, which will make you crave for more (different) versions of his works.

Bach's production is so consistent that I can understand that people can, without any sense of exaggeration, recommend his entire recorded output. However, if you feel that your next exposure to his works shouldn't multiply your classical collection to the point that your Bach performances outnumber your discs of all other classical composers combined, we can instead focus on the most widely-circulated pieces of the Bach repertoire:

If I hear somebody say that they don't like the Goldberg Variations, it'll be the first time.
A collection of Organ works containing arguably the most famous Bach "tune" ("Jesu" is the only other realistic competitor), the Toccata & Fugue on D minor... and-
The Brandenburg Concertos.

How about St Matthew Passion and its highlights like Wir setzen uns... Also, the Piano Concerto No. 5 in F minor BWV 1056.

Originally Posted by Ciel_Rouge

Also, the Piano Concerto No. 5 in F minor BWV 1056.

[emphasis mine]

It's strange to see the work being called that.

Yeap, it was harpsichord originally. Still, it is performed on pianos and actually I like it better this way.

I have found it very difficult to go wrong with Bach.
I have many recordings of his works.
He was a wonderfully consistent and brilliant composer.
Here are some performers who I feel do his works justice.

Paul Galbraith
Andras Schiff ( Goldberg Variations )
Keith Jarrett ( Well Tempered Clavier, books I and II, and the English Suites )
Richard Goode ( Partitas )
Edward Parmentier ( Toccatas, BWV 910-916 )

Good listening !

Originally Posted by huBelial

Does anyone know whats his best album? I have just listen to his Air piece and its amazing, so I'm hoping to get some of his best albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiWn0eCxLSQ

Originally Posted by huBelial

Does anyone know whats his best album? I have just listen to his Air piece and its amazing, so I'm hoping to get some of his best albums.

Start with the Violin Concertos - including the double concerto. Three works that are usually together on a single disc. Not saying that they are his best work (although they are great), but it's very accessible music. You will have to decide for yourself if you prefer period or modern instruments.