Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous music, beautifully performed, 16 Jun 2007
The other reviews here show that this is obviously a Marmite set - you either love it or you hate it. Me, I love it I treasure it and play it often. In such circumstances another review may not be of that much help to an undecided prospective purchaser because you can't know in advance whose taste you share, but for what it's worth:
The treasure of this set for me is the B Minor Mass. It has been described as the greatest work of art in any medium ever and while that may be a rather overblown claim it isn't wholly indefensible. Gardiner's interpretation does it proud. It has intensity, intellectual weight, a deep respect for the work and, above all, radiant beauty. I love it. I also have the Andrew Parrott recording (now available very reasonably on Virgin Veritas) and treasure the two equally. I've heard quite a few others which I don't like as much. There isn't a single correct way to do the B Minor Mass and your taste may not coincide with mine, but if you're looking for a really fine recording I don't think you can go wrong with Gardiner (or Parrott, for that matter).
I'm less qualified to compare versions of the other great works in this box as these are the only recordings I own and listen to in detail. Probably the reason for this is that I'm extremely happy with them. I've heard others which I have liked very much, and the Gardiner versions seem to me to stand up with the best of them. The singers in this set are simply fantastic - Nancy Argenta, Anne Sophie von Otter, Barbara Bonney, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Stephen Varcoe to name but a few. The orchestra and chorus sound fresh and involved, and I derive huge pleasure from the whole set.
Gardiner seems to arouse strong passions in some musical breasts - one Amazon reviewer has written scathingly of both his Santiago discs, for example, which I think are sublime. For myself I think he's a great Bach interpreter and nine discs of him directing some of the world's finest music at this price seems to me to be a monumental bargain. I can see that some knowledgeable and passionate music lovers here have grave reservations but I, like the great majority of professional reviewers did, recommend this set wholeheartedly.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Baroque masterpieces- a surprise for me, 12 Sep 2006
Ever since listening to St. John Passion as a young boy, I always had respect for Bach's music and classical music as a whole. However, until taking a small risk and buying this set, I steered clear of Bach unless it was impossible to do so. Having to study Baroque music at university this year gave me the real impetus to do so and I don't regret it for a second. This boxset is now my most treasured musical possession and I can't stop listening to the 4 great works contained within. The opening movements of each work are reason enough to buy the set on its own, but when you listen to them all as I was compelled to do, you discover that under the contrapuntal surface of Bach lies a genius who is capable of bringing out the fire in one's heart and moving you at the same time. At 22 pounds i thought this was a bargain as they are 20 pounds separately, saving you a lot of money.
The conducting from John Eliot Gardiner is again top-notch with the soloists, choir and orchestra doing the works supreme justice. The only downside is that there are no libretti, but no doubt they could be found on-line or even by buying the scores.
If you don't know Bach or you don't own these works, I would suggest that you start here, since at this price you really can't go wrong.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply the best , 24 Jul 2006
Sir John Eliot's recordings of Bach are simply among the finest performances of music captured on record. This particular set of works are in a word definitive - he captures the dance-like spirit of Bach convincingly (unlike so many others), and the grandiose sections are given breadth without becoming dull. The singing is exemplary, as is the orchestral playing.
Of course, the nature of such a valuable and inexpensive box as this (which comes with a huge booklet containing the essays on the works from the original releases) makes the purchase compulsory!
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