Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Münchinger, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra :: Bach: The Art of Fugue; Musical Offering

If I could give it more stars I would

I X Key | tomorrow | 03/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have tons of different recordings of The Art of Fugue, & this one of them all is absolutely my favorite. Each melodic line is very distinct. This is also the best recording of Musical Offering I know. Please get this cd. I think this might in fact be some of the very best recorded Bach available if you ask me. I'm not kidding. It's very heady & more soulful/emotional than you're likely to find in many other interpretations of his music, & without straying from what I think Bach had in mind with his music. Yes, this is what he intended."

The Crown of Western Music

Kilgore Trout | WA | 11/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of The Art of Fugue is my all-around favorite.



The premier piece of the set is the final (unfinished) fugue. I place this as the crown of all western music. Three parts of the fugue, out of a theorized four, were completed - but he didn't live to finish it. Some feel that he let it end there on purpose, for some reason. Just before he died, instead of finishing the final fugue, he composed a chorale. If the final fugue represents a journey into the after-life, then this chorale could be thought of as music from the other side, and as the only piece worthy of being played after the final fugue. That chorale is sometimes called "Vor Deinen Thron Tret Ich Hiermit", and is also known as "Wenn wir in Hochsten Noten Sein".



The Art of Fugue was written without scoring - no particular instruments were assigned - so one can find recordings done on the piano (Charles Rosen), harpsichord (Gustav Leonhardt - on vinyl only, I think), chamber orchestra, string orchestra, brass ensemble, organ, etc. My favorite recording of the final fugue is by Arthur Winograd (MGM) on vinyl, but that recording is very scarce.



Other decent recordings that I've heard so far on CD:

The Emerson String Quartet; Deutsche Grammophon B0000908-02 - their versions of the early fugues are quite good.

The Canadian Brass; Sony Essential Classics SBK 89731.

The Keller Quartet (ECM 1652) - some parts work well, others not as well.

Neville Marriner (Phillips 442-556-2) - a bit bland, but good.



Lukas Foss and the Sheffield Ensemble - Quite lively, but very unusual in its orchestration and in its freedom with the notes. Three or four of the pieces are as good as any version I've heard.

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One day, quite a while ago, I was walking through the quad of a university and heard one of the fugues being played inside a classroom. I looked in through the window and saw a room full of accordions playing it! True story!"

Emotional & elegant

Musicus | Oslo, Norway | 06/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first choice, but I am not going to have only one version of this music. Muenchinger's direction gives some of the courtly elegance of traditional Bach-interpretations; oddly enough this courtly elegance is mostly missing on so-called historically informed versions. But the most striking aspect is that this Art of the Fugue & Musical Offering are so emotional, they go straight to my heart. The two productions are wonderful in spite of being from the 60ies and the 70ies, with a clear rendering of the counterpoint. The fact that you also get The Musical Offering makes this a real bargain. Don't hesitate; this classic is not going to be in sale forever."