It is, it's Kempff's 1951-1956 DG mono cycle, which I personally prefer to his 1964-1965 DG stereo cycle. I've never heard the Regis release, but according to some the original DG set sounds better.
I've sampled this set but I am starting my first proper listen-through today. Quartets 3, 1, & 2: Beethoven: String Quartets. Quatuor Talich, La Dolce Volta.
Listening to CD 22 from "Aldo Ciccolini - Enregistrements EMI 1950-1991" on EMI. Satie: Lent Et Douloureux Lent Et Triste Lent Et Grave Obstacles Venimeux Crepuscule Matinal Affolements Grantiques Sa Taille Son Binocle Ses Jambes Idylle Aubade Meditation Lent Avec Tonnement Lent Manire De Commencement Prolongation Du Même Lentement Enleve Brutal En Plus Redite Tyrolienne Turque Danse Maigre Espanana Doux Et Calme Simplement Un Peu Mouvemente Grande Ritournelle Marche Franco-lunaire Valse Du Mysterieux Baiser Dans L'oeil Cancan Grand Mondian Sur Un Vaisseau Sur Une Lanterne Sur Un Casque Sevre Reprimande Seul La Maison On Joue Chez Le Marchand D'or Danse Cuirassée La Defaite Des Cimbres Choral Fugue Litanique Autre Choral Fugue De Papier Celle Qui Parle Trop Le Porteur De Grosses Pierres Regrets Des Enfermés Pastorale Choral Fugue
I have all of Richter’s DG/Archiv Bach that’s on CD. Compared to the HIP versions I have (which are mostly Gardiner, Herreweghe and Harnoncourt), the Mass and Passions seem overstuffed. But when I compare Richter’s Bach work to his 60s contemporaries it sounds focused and devoid of ornamental touches, despite the brass. The cantatas must have been a stretch for DG to put out; AFAIK no one else had done more than the favorites when he was recording them (mostly in the 70s). Now of course only 75 cantatas is considered a small selection, but they take up 25 CDs in my collection, half of the Richter portfolio. Since I am neither German, Lutheran (or Christian, for that matter) a lot of Bach’s impact is lost on me, even when done by skilled practioners.
I have a real problem with the cover photos. They are beautiful in a National Geographic kind of way (the photographer is most famous for his Afghan Girl photograph). Taking the content of Bach’s cantatas into account, using photographs of non-Western (and almost certainly non-Christian) ”native peoples” for cover art is simply inappropriate. Pace Gardiner, Bach’s music is by no means universal.
JS Bach music is universal in the Christian world regardless of national languages as many of the tunes are sung all over, even in the Far East ...
Just returned from my late afternoon 35 min, 3 1/2 mile walk and listened to CD1 from the following twofer from my Corelli collection ...
I understand. But it is not my experience. I don’t find them universal, but they provide a powerful insight into European sensibilities.
I ordered Hogwood's Bach Orchestral Suites but there was a Corelli Concerto Grossi disc in it by Marriner. So I've got half of each set.
Please let us know how you like it. There some comments about intonation problems in various reviews at the time.
I think they are beautiful in their own right and provide great unity to the series, but I don't disagree with you.
I haven't listened to this in a while, and when I started, I suddenly remembered why: It sucks! The Tsontakis is mostly warmed-over Messiaen (both pieces, actually) -not exactly a great selling point. He plays the Berg Sonata well, though.
It is interesting to reach back to some of these collections of recordings and realize that, though they're unremarkable now, they represented something significant at the time. It's funny though, I can check a lot of the same "boxes" as you - so to speak - but Bach's sacred works actually impress upon me a sense of... I'll call it the "spiritual" or maybe "mystical" in the broader sense. There's a sense of awe and grandeur along with reverence to it. In some ways, it impresses upon me how much Bach took this seriously and, through that sensibility, it becomes real to me as well (even if only during the time I'm listening).
I agree Tsontakis missed the mark with me with Man of Sorrows. I do like his Ghost Variations though with Hough at the helm. What do you think of that piece? It is far from a masterpiece IMO but a fun interesting listen.
