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Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue; A Musical Offering

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Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue; A Musical Offering [Box set]

~ Sir Neville Marriner

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Price:	�8.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

Audio CD (10 Jan 1995)
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: Box set
Label: Decca (UMO)
ASIN: B0000041A6
Other Editions: MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 60,449 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Disc 1:

On this CD:

The Art of Fugue
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conducted by Neville Marriner
Musikalisches Opfer, 'Musical Offering'
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

There are many apocryphal stories in the classical-music world, but the one in which Frederick the Great challenged Bach to improvise a six-part fugue on a theme of the king's own invention is true, and The Musical Offering was, after a period of further reflection, the result. As with all the works of Bach's later years, the work is both great art and a "teaching piece", which shows everything that he thought could be done with the king's theme. The Trio Sonata based on the theme is the only major piece of chamber music from Bach's last decades in Leipzig, and that makes the work an essential cornerstone of any Bach collection. This performance, led by Neville Marriner, is both polished and lively, and very well recorded. At a "twofer" price, coupled with The Art of Fugue, it's the preferred version of the work on modern instruments. --David Hurwitz

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The crowning glory of the grand old man of music, 28 Feb 2002

By	Matt Westwood (Reading, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

These two works are arguably the capstone of all of Bach's works.

The Art of Fugue encapsulates everything that he wanted to say about the science (and indeed mathematics) of the creation of musical forms. The work is rigidly structured, yet diverse; it's studious, yet an entertainment. This version (there exist quite a number) is in 22 "movements", each of which has its own taxonomic classification, all of which are based around a simple yet compelling theme. Variations on that theme include turning it upside down, playing backwards and inside out (I exaggerate minimally) and pitting it against itself in several voices. And as a work of entertainment, it works as well as it does as a scholarly treatise.

Apocryphal tales abound concerning the fact that he hid his name (the legendary 4 notes B-A-C-H) in the final movement, and at that moment breathed his last. The truth is more mundane than that, but the fact remains that this is an unfinished work, which the performers here respectfully leave unfinished, tailing off at the exact point that the score does. Which is all to the good, in my opinion, as somehow it seems to work better like that than if someone had come along and finished it off for him.

Originally, it was not specified for what instruments The Art of Fugue was intended, so anyone interpreting it has been given a free hand. That applies with a vengeance to the ensemble who has put this little lot together - and it's an arrangement that works very well. You've got harpsichord, organ, string quartet, chamber ensemble, the lot - and each one sounds as though it *ought* to be the way it is. Don't ask me to explain - go ahead and listen to it and appreciate it.

As for the Musical Offering, it comes from very much the same sort of direction, but seems to have been written more for the purpose of others, as opposed to being written, like The Art of Fugue, for himself. Of the two works, it's not as intellectually satisfying, but from the aesthetic standpoint it's easier to appreciate without a degree in mathematics.

The only other work of Bach's that I have experienced that remotely resembles these is the Goldberg Variations. I would be interested to hear of anything else he wrote that's so finely structured like this.

Finally, I have to mention that the price is in keeping with that of the others of this series, which has proven repeatedly that cheap does not mean nasty. Look out for these DUO editions, as they are like as not a worthwhile addition to your collection.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pinnacle of Western Music Brilliantly Realised, 6 Jan 2006

By	T. Macfarlane "History Nut" (Fylde Coast, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As is well known, Bach specified no instrumentation for what James Gaines - "Evening in the Palace of Reason" - calls one of "the most sublime reaches of learned counterpoint", along with the "Goldberg Variations", "Variations on Vom Himmel hoch", and The Musical Offering.

Wanting to get to know this music better, I bought two versions, of which this was one.

I think one of the reasons why I found this the recording of choice was the fact that Sir Neville Marriner and Andrew Davis have arranged each Contrapunctus for different instrumental groups, or soloists.

This provides a range of musical colour which performances for string quartet or viols, for example, cannot.

This is not so much a weakness in other settings, merely an admission of the shortccomings of this listener.

I can now see why the likes of Frederick the Great turned against Bach: he IS difficult listening; Telemann is not.

But I know with whom I would choose to spend the evening!

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, but..., 27 Nov 2003

By A Customer

I do agree with the other reviwers, very fine stuff, but.... it slightly irritates me that the instruments used for individual peices vary between ensemble and solo. Some are played by the wonderful combination of strings and woodwind (my favourite - the textures complement the music so well), others solo harpsichord and others again solo organ. This is a small(and probably very personal)niggle, but it's useful to know befor you buy!

In spite of this , I'd still reccomend it.

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