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25.11.15

The Real Top 10 Bach Recordings

Addendum to the Forbes Article




To accompany the Gramophone-inspired bit over on Forbes.com about the ‘Real’ Top 10 Bach Recordings (as opposed to those picked by Gramophone, which I am calling out for a touch of pro-Anglo bias), here the discography of my top choices and mentioned and praised alternatives. The Gramophone choices 3, 6, and 9 seem particularly biased/off. 1, 2, 5, 8, 10 could have been ionarts choices, as well. About the Goldberg Variations, ionarts has a long track record of reviewing and discussing, which can be delved into via this link. Wherever CDT’s choices differ from mine, they are indicated, although true in-house dissent among us is extremely rare.





No.1

Orchestral Suites

Gramophone’s Choice: Ensemble Sonnerie / Monica Huggett (English, Avie)
My Choice: Concerto Köln (German, Berlin Classics)
Alternative: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin (German, Harmonia Mundi), English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (English, Erato)
Charles’ Choice: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra 2011 (German, Harmonia Mundi)



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Orchestral Suites
M.Huggett / Ensemble Sonnerie
Avie


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Orchestral Suites
Concerto Köln
Berlin Classics


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Orchestral Suites
Akademie für Alte Musik
Harmonia Mundi




No.2

Brandenburg Concertos

Gramophone’s Choice: European Brandenburg Ensemble / Trevor Pinnock (English, Avie)
My Choice: Academy of Ancient Music / Richard Egarr (English, Harmonia Mundi)
Alternative: Jacques Loussier (French, Telarc)
Charles’ Choice: Academy of Ancient Music, Hogwood (English, L'Oiseau-Lyre/Decca)


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concertos
T.Pinnock / European Brandenburg Ensemble
Avie


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concertos
R.Egarr / Academy of Ancient Music
Harmonia Mundi

available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concertos
J.Loussier

Telarc




No.3

Violin Concertos

Gramophone’s Choice: Daniel Hope (English) / Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Warner)
My Choice: Petra Müllejans, Gottfried von der Goltz / Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (German, Harmonia Mundi)
Alternative: Amandine Beyer / Gli Incogniti (French, Zig Zag)
[Intra-ionarts concurment]



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Violin Concertos
D.Hope
Warner


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Violin Concertos
P.Müllejans / Freiburg BO
Harmonia Mundi


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Violin Concertos
A.Beyer / Gli Incogniti
Zig Zag




No.4

Goldberg Variations

Gramophone’s Choice: Glenn Gould II (Canadian, Sony)
My Choice: Duo Tal and Groethuysen [Ed. Rheinberger / Reger] (Israeli-German, Sony)
Alternatives: Tzimon Barto [Ed. Busoni-Barto] (American, Capriccio), Zhu Xiao-Mei (Chinese-French, Mirare), Pierre Hantaï II (French, Mirare)
Charles’ Choice: Christophe Rousset (French, Decca), Murray Perahia (American, Sony) or Gould I (Canadian, Sony).



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations
G.Gould
Sony


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations
Tal & Groethuysen
Sony


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations
T.Barto
Capriccio




No.5

Partitas

Gramophone’s Choice: Trevor Pinnock (English, Hänssler)
My Choice: Andás Schiff (Hungarian, ECM)
Alternatives: Masaaki Suzuki (Japanese, BIS), Zhu Xiao-Mei (Chinese-French, Mirare), Peter Watchorn (Australian, Musica Omnia)
Charles’ Choice: Angela Hewitt (Canadian, Hyperion), Christophe Rousset (French, Decca)



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Partitas
T.Pinnock
Hänssler


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Partitas
A.Schiff II
ECM


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Partitas
Masaaki Suuki
BIS




No.6

The Cello Suites

Gramophone’s Choice: Steven Isserlis (English, Hyperion)
My Choice: Jean-Guihen Queyras (French, Harmonia Mundi)
Alternatives: Gavriel Lipkind (Israeli-German, Edel / Lipkind Productions), Arnau Tomàs (Spanish, Aglae), Peter Wispelwey II (Dutch, Channel)
Charles’ Choice: Intra-ionarts concurment / HIP: Bruno Cocset (French, Alpha)



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Cello Suites
S.Isserlis
Hyperion


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Cello Suites
J.G.Queyras
Harmonia Mundi


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Cello Suites
A.Tomàs
Aglae




No.7

Well Tempered Clavier

Gramophone’s Choice: Angela Hewitt II (Canadian, Hyperion)
My Choice: Zhu Xiao-Mei (Chinese-French, Mirare)
Alternatives: Friedrich Gulda (Austrian, Decca / MPS), Tatyana Nikolayeva (Russian, Victor-Japan), Richard Egarr (English, Harmonia Mundi)
Charles’ Choice: Angela Hewitt II (Canadian, Hyperion), Glenn Gould (Canadian, Sony), Christophe Rousset (Book II, French, Aparte)



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Well Tempered Clavier
A.Hewitt
Hyperion


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Well Tempered Clavier
Zhu Xiao-Mei
Mirare


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Well Tempered Clavier
F.Gulda
MPS/Berlin Classics, formerly Philips




No.8

Solo Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Gramophone’s Choice: Rachel Podger (English, Channel Classics)
My Choice: Viktoria Mullova (Russian, Onyx)
Alternative: Nathan Milstein (Russian, DG)
[Intra-ionarts concurment]



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Sonatas & Partitas
R.Podger
Channel


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Sonatas & Partitas
V.Mullova
Onyx


available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Sonatas & Partitas
N.Milstein
DG




No.9

Mass in B minor

Gramophone’s Choice: Dunedin Consort and Players / John Butt (English, Linn)
My Choice: Netherlands Bach Society / Jos van Veldhoven (Dutch, Channel Classics)
Alternative: Les musiciens du Louvre / Marc Minkowski (French, naïve)
Charles’ Choice: Collegium Vocale / Philippe Herreweghe (Belgian, Harmonia Mundi), Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki (Japanese, BIS)



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Mass in B Minor
J.Butt / Dunedin Consort

Linn

available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Mass in B Minor
J.v.Veldhoven / Nederlandse Bachvereniging
Channel

available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, Mass in B Minor
M.Minkowski / Les musiciens du Louvre
Naïve




No.10

St. Matthew Passion

Gramophone’s Choice: Concentus Musicus, Arnold Schoenberg Choir / Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Austrian, Teldec/Warner)
My Choice: Klangverwaltung Orchester / Enoch zu Guttenberg (German, Farao)
Alternatives: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / René Jacobs (Flemish, Harmonia Mundi)
Charles’ Choice: Gabrieli Consort & Players / Paul McCreesh (English, Archiv)



available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, St.Matthew Passion
N.Harnoncourt / Concentus Musicus
Prégardien, Goerne, Schäfer, Röschmann, Fink et al.
Warner

available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, St.Matthew Passion
E.zu Guttenberg / Klangverwaltung

Ullmann, Mertens, Korondi, Vondung, Güra et al.
Farao

available at Amazon
J.S. Bach, St.Matthew Passion
R.Jacobs / AKAMUS

Güra, Weisser, Fink, Im, Lehtipuu, Wolff et al.
Harmonia Mundi




























2 comments:

Anonymous said...

what the hell man. no organ works? youre crazy if you don't put the organ works among bach best. I mean come on! that was the man's specialty

jfl said...

Dear Anonymous, I totally agree. Take it up with Gramophone; for the purpose of this list (see original Forbes article, where I make the same point as you) I stuck to the works they chose.