Bach Edition: Complete Works (155 CD Box Set)

A must for the Bach "completist" with some pearls in it to boot!

I have had this collection for about 3 years, and keep it in my office so I listen to it while I work...a lot. I listen to other stuff too, but often the Bach is what's spinning on my CD player. I have listened to every CD in the collection at least 3 times (I know because when I first got it I mixed the order up semi-randomly and just cycle through the entire 155-CD collection. I also own a lot of Bach's major works on other CDs and have been listening to Bach all my life.

There are very few bad performances or recordings in the collection. I'm pretty picky, and I've never skipped over any of the CDs. There are quite a few that are somewhat mediocre in both performance and sound quality, particularly for the keyboard works (recordings are largely too bright, performances neither technically dazzling nor passionate) and the cantatas (recordings by and large are fine but the performances are often lackluster). Of course, the keyboard works and cantatas make up the lion's share of the CDs! I think that for the cantatas in particular, when a group of musicians have to slog through scores of them as part of a massive recording project, the performances often lose some of the savor that you get when the focus is just on one or two for a single CD. I think that applies to many "complete x, y, or z" recordings. On the other hand, I found the recordings of the Chorales, which ought to be similar ("OK, let's do number 56, great that's done, let's do number 57", etc.) to actually be quite lovely and full of the humanity and musical intensity that Bach put into writing them.

Like I said in the title, there are also some pearls. My favorite (this month) are the recordings of solo violin works by Mark Lubotsky, who is really an extraordinary musician and who ought to be better known in the U.S. That is really good stuff. He plays with just the right balance of brain and heart that, among all composers, is unique to Bach and which escapes so many many musicians.

If this collection were 3 times the price, I'd say buy it if you're a Bach "completist" and you like the idea of being able to listen to his entire oeuvre with nothing left out, but otherwise maybe consider purchasing some of its component CDs individually. BUT for heaven's sake it's less than a buck a CD, so if you like classical music and you have the $$$ just buy it! November 20, 2008

Fantastic deal, and quality much better than expected!

Since the "2000" Bach edition is fantastically expensive (around $1200), I decided to bite the bullet and go with this brand, at about 1/10 the price. I have read various reviews, many of which were of mixed quality, even accounting for the lower price.

I have now listened to about half of the set, picking some from each of the categories (Orchestral/Chamber, Keyboard, Cantatas, Vocal Works, and Organ Works), and I find the quality to be superior, much better than you would expect from some of the other reviews.

Some of the keyboard works were not of the best quality, but all of the Orchestral/Chamber works were great, and all of the cantatas I've listened to so far (just over half) have also been of excellent quality. (Some criticisms were that the instruments were out of tune. This may be explained by the use of "period" instruments, which don't generate as perfect a tone as modern instruments, but I did not notice any detuned items.) The vocal pieces were fine (although I have not listened to any of the Chorales yet), and the Organ works are of stellar quality. (From what I understand, the more expensive edition has Ton Koopman on the organ - which was one factor in my deciding to NOT get the more expensive edition.)

One nice touch in the cantatas is that the recordings use the Holland Boys Choir rather than the normal female soprano/alto singers, which gives an improved sound quality. Of course, a poor boys choir can be a painful sound indeed, but an excellent boys choir is a real treat. And you'd expect that (living in the Phoenix area) I'd be spoiled by hearing the world's-top-rated Phoenix Boys Choir! But the Holland Boys Choir did a very good job, so those that are not used to hearing boys choirs should appreciate them as well. The (adult) soloists were fine as well.

Overall, for 1/10 the price, you certainly can't go wrong. However, even if it was the same price, this would still be an excellent selection.
November 17, 2008

Magnificent Compilation

A magnificent compilation of Bach's work which is substantially blemished by poor recording and mastering techniques. You'll find what interests you here, and often go elsewhere for decently balanced and acoustically well-rendered recordings. This is tragic, because many of the performances in this collection are very good or even excellent. November 9, 2008

Bach Edition: Complete Works

This is the greatest collection to have ever come out. I've spent several futile years trying to collect Bach's complete works and have not even scratched the surface. FINALLY a comprehensive box set is available, and moreover, the performances are fantastic! In a way, the performers have to be of the highest ilk to accomplish a box set of Bach's complete works, so the performances are bound to be good. As a professional musician, educator and music lover, I am absolutely ecstatic about the Bach Edition: Complete Works. I look forward to years of use and enjoyment out of it. October 28, 2008

basically good

The box is not too sturdy, but the CD cases are OK. I took one out and jumped on it repeatedly and it broke after about 4 tries. I think Deutche Grammaphon makes the best. Also, the box is not too stain-resistant (I tested it). August 23, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...