Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Christian Benda, Sebastian Benda :: Bach: The Musical Offering

Definately worth having

grozny | 01/31/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who likes this music would do well to get this. Bth previous r3eviews contain legitimate and valid reactions. The lower evaluation harks back to earlier Bach traditions - including a Romantic emotionalism that turns Bach into something very different. It was the main tradition during my youth and was usterly panned during the development of the "original" movement. Now the thick Romantic orchestrations sound cluttered and the emotionalism forced, but they can still be compelling. One of the glories of Bach is the incredible richness of possibilities in his music. We are fortunate to live at a time when a proliferation of musical possibilities. This performance lacks some warmth, but is has more virtues than most.



I want a Bach performance to be crisp and reasonably brisk. I value a clarity of line and a precision of intonation. There is also a need for an intergration of elements, a vague description easily identified when it is absent, This performance has all of these. I have five performances and this ranks with the best of them.



If you are one of those who download one track before buying the whole CD, try the first track. It has all of the virtues of the set. Note that this version does not have the ususal extended harpsichord version. I find this an advantage."