CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Jubilee Edition 80TH Anniversary (Box)

by: Gustav Leonhardt

Release Date June 03, 2008
After leaving the Netherlands almost twenty years ago and since then no longer attending Leonhardt concerts or listening to his lp recordings, the appearance of this economically priced anthology offered a welcoming incentive to reacquaint myself with the keyboard player whom many consider as the most authoritative interpreter of baroque music. Together with Walcha's organ and harpsichord recordings Leonhardt's were the very first renditions of baroque music that I heard starting in the mid sixties. While Walcha's Bach will always remain my standard for "Bach comme il faut", Leonhardt's evolved to a style that while claiming the epitaph "authentic" became less and less so. Yet, praise where praise is due, Leonhardt has remained the paragon of ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Bach for Relaxation

from: RCA

Release Date January 13, 1998
Another great collection of songs in this series with very good performances of the pieces.

Calm and soothing and definately recommended to relax by.

CD-Charts Position 3
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Bach's Adagios

from: Erato

Release Date May 09, 2000
Bach's Adagios is peaceful music that will soothe the soul. Each of the pieces have unique arrangements and emphasize different instruments. Some have a strong keyboard presence, others are more string driven, still others even feature a vocal choir. Some pieces are more captivating than others. Tracks 1 and 4 stand out on the first disc. The lead off track on the second disc is pretty memorable as well.

When I desire something more spirited, this two disc set has the potential to cause some boredom. But when peace and quiet is needed, this set is very appropriate.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Bach: Sacred Cantatas

from: Teldec

Release Date December 20, 1994
The big CD collection of Harnoncourt is really to recommend to everybody who is interested in.
It is a wonderful collection, with alle the works of Bach.The whole Box is amazing and every song is fantastic.
It also looks very good wehn you put it into the shelf.
The price is really justified in accord to the number of CD and the quality you get.

CD-Charts Position 5
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Bach:Build Your Baby's Brain 4

from: Sony

Release Date January 11, 2000
The big CD collection of Harnoncourt is really to recommend to everybody who is interested in.
It is a wonderful collection, with alle the works of Bach.The whole Box is amazing and every song is fantastic.
It also looks very good wehn you put it into the shelf.
The price is really justified in accord to the number of CD and the quality you get.

CD-Charts Position 6
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J.S. Bach: 6 Keyboard Partitas

by: J.S. Bach, Gustav Leonhardt (Harpsichord)

Release Date May 11, 2004
This set of Bach's 'Opus 1', i. e. his six 'partitas' each consisting of an introduction and then five or six dance movements, was recorded by EMI in 1986 and was, in fact, Leonhardt's second recording of this particular masterpiece. There are two sides to my evaluation. First, the positive side: this is an immaculate piece of playing and engineering. I have seldom heard such a crisp, clear-cut recording of a harpsichord, and there are few instruments that please the ear so much as this one, made by William Dowd of Paris as a copy of an 18th century German original from Berlin. The sound is absolutely delightful, and I find myself looking forward to hearing the discs over and over again. Leonhardt had, by this time, abandoned the austerity of style which ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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CPE Bach: Symphonies (Wq 182, 183); Cello Concertos (Wq 170-172) /Bylsma * OAE * Leonhardt

from: Virgin Veritas

Release Date October 10, 2000
The musical genius of the Bach family continues to astonish me. While I am already familiar with the patriarch Johann Sebastian and his youngest son Johann Christian (the English Bach), this very affordable two disc set was my first foray into the career of CPE Bach. I initally heard an excerpt of this recording on the radio in Massachusetts, and quickly added it to my collection. It features some very thoughtful and inspiring music. The symphonies are great fun, but even more commendable are these vibrant versions of CPE Bach's cello concertos performed with the rich, full tone of a cello built in 1695! Truly wonderful-a fine example of period performances at their very best. This first-rate recording offers a perfect way to introduce yourself to another ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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J.S. Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos - Collegium Aureum

from: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (Sony/BMG)

Release Date July 25, 2005
Is that opening line a joke? An oxymoron? Old fashioned period Bach? Yes, there is such a thing and this is it. I'll begin my dissertation on old fashioned period Bach by borrowing a few lines and some information from an American Record Guide review of three new Brandenburg concerto sets.

"How much does speed count against other factors?" the critic asked, rhetorically, when discussing two new period performance recordings of the Brandenburgs done in today's rapid fire fashon. The critic disclosed that the two new sets had total timings of 92:26 and 85:43 for the six concerti, both much faster than the third recording he was reviewing -- an old East German performance by Helmut Koch and a Berlin band -- that clocked in at 108 minutes. "Turning to ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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Build Your Baby's Brain 5

from: Sony

Release Date January 11, 2000
To anyone who loves the oboe, this CD is worth buying if only for John de Lancie's famous rendition of the Marcello Concerto (the whole concerto is here), which is the best I have ever heard. His interpretation of the soaring slow movement is especially beautiful. The sound is very clear and the other selections (including a delightful version of Vivaldi's "Spring" concerto with flute instead of violin) are quite good, with perhaps a little too much emphasis on the pompous... But never mind all that: if you like the oboe as much as I do, this is probably one of the best available examples of de Lancie's wonderful sound and definitely worth the price of the whole CD!

CD-Charts Position 10
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The Arp Schnittger Organ at St. Jacobi, Hamburg

from: Sony

Release Date February 13, 1996
This is not just music but a collection of some of the best sounds that you will ever hear. Here we have a recording of one of the world's greatest organs. The St. Jocobi organ was first completed in 1693 by the master German organ builder Arp Schnitger. The instrument suffered loss of some of its parts during the World Wars but most of it was carefully stored out of reach of the bombs that destroyed the church building during WWII. Now the organ lives again in its 17th century glory thanks to a diligent restoration carried out by experts. It is played wonderfully by Gustav Leonhardt. The music on this recording is truly sublime and favors our ears as it is played on an organ known to some of the composers featured. Anyone who loves early organ ... Read More: