# Buried Treasure!



## Guest (Nov 14, 2013)

Alright - I was at my local library today, looking for the holiday music section because they supposedly had a Tallis Scholars Christmas CD that I wanted. I have picked over the entire Classical CD collection there fairly well by now, so I wasn't looking for any surprises. I finally found the holiday music, a short distance from the classical collection. Then I noticed, on a neighboring shelf, a label that read "Bach." I was puzzled - why would they have Bach elsewhere than the classical section. But there were at least 3 shelves, all labeled Bach. Then I looked closely and realized I had stumbled upon an amazing treasure - the entire (at least as far as I can tell) Hanssler Bach series!!!!!!!

The first thing that came to mind was . . . crap, they only let me check out 10 CDs at a time! Not wanting to be too greedy, I decided to pace myself. But where to start? Religious cantatas? Secular cantatas? Organ music? Concertos? Keyboard works? Finally, I exercised great control, and picked up the WTC Books 1 and 2, recorded by Robert Levin (along with the Tallis Scholars I was originally for, as well as Ivan Fischer's recording of Mahler's 4th symphony). 

I realize that there are certain performances in this series that aren't going to be my favorite, but I am excited that I am going to be able to listen to a comprehensive collection of Bach's works!

So, for those who have any or all of this series, tell me - have I stumbled upon a hidden treasure, or is this just a mediocre find?


----------



## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

The Hansler Bach series is the best full set as far as I'm concerned. Work your way through it.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The cantatas are excellent, with great soloists. The caveat here is the recorded sound.
There are some strange balances between left and right speakers on some, which kind of ruin them for me.


----------



## Guest (Nov 14, 2013)

Are there other complete sets out there? 

As I am listening to a lot of the Suzuki cantata cycle right now, I think I am going to focus on the non-choral works - the keyboard works and the concertos, in particular. That should keep me busy for a while.


----------



## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Yes there is one from Brilliant classics and another complete edition from Warner/Teldec called Bach 2000. The Rilling cantatas on Hanssler are definitely the best of the three, some of the soloists on the others are a bit ropey and they didn't get much rehearsal time I think. I tend to prefer the more HIP performances of other works on the Bach 2000 set though.


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

There's nothing wrong with the Hanssler Bach set. It's better than the Brilliant Classics one. There are some better individual recordings as quack mentioned from the Teldec Bach 2000, but we're also talking about Warner Brothers with a bunch of options and big names at their disposal, but overall the Hanssler set is pretty consistent and has some very nice recordings.


----------



## Guest (Nov 14, 2013)

I am noticing that there are certainly some very good soloists in the Hanssler set. I am listening to the WTC right now, performed by Levin, and I really like how he uses an array of instruments in the recordings. Harpsichord, organ, clavichord, fortepiano. For me, at least, it adds some variety to the performance, and helps keep me from falling into a lull and having it all blur into one.


----------



## Guest (Nov 21, 2013)

So I am about a week into my perusal of this collection. Some thoughts:
1. Does anybody know how many volumes there are? I read online that the entire collection is 172 discs, but there are only about 142 or 143 volumes at the library. I know that some of them are multi-disc. So is the actual volume count/number of albums in the 140s? Do they have them all?

2. Thus far, I have listened to both WTC books, all the harpsichord, oboe, and violin concertos, and am now working on the Brandenburg Concertos. The ones I currently have but have not yet heard are the Orchestral Suites, the Goldberg Variations, and the Musical Offering. I am enjoying it thus far. I don't know that the Brandenburgs will replace my favorites, and I prefer a brisker tempo, but they are fine recordings, made with modern instruments but HIP practices. I really enjoyed the WTC recordings, and liked the assortment of keyboard instruments used. The harpsichord concertos were also very nice, but I still think I prefer the Perahia recordings with a modern piano.

3. Overall, I am enjoying this, and, like I said, it has the definite advantage of being complete (assuming the library has all the volumes). I may go with the organ works next, or the solo keyboard works. Of course, I might also go with the Masses and oratorios. You just never know. Only 10 discs at a time.


----------

