# Bach's music orchestrated



## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

I'm interested to know which works of Bach have been orchestrated / re-orchestrated into more modern sound
examples: 
Toccata & Fugue BWV 565 (Ormandy, Stokowski)
Fantasia & Fugue BWV 537 (Elgar)


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## crispi (Jun 14, 2018)

This Wiki page might have the info you need:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transcriptions_of_compositions_by_Johann_Sebastian_Bach


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Stokowski is said to have orchestrated about 37 works by Bach
https://www.stokowski.org/Leopold Stokowski Orchestrations.htm

Mahler's reworking of orchestral suite movements: 
https://imslp.org/wiki/Suite_aus_den_Orchesterwerken_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian)

There are of course many, varied orchestral versions of Kunst der Fuge, some of them mentioned here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Fugue


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

You might want to investigate Harrison Birtwistle's Bach reworking for orchestra. I have two recordings but I don't know if they've ever been published commercially, _Bach Measures_ and _Bach Fugues, _both played by Martyn Brabbins and the players from the Concertgebouw.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

Fabulin said:


> I'm interested to know which works of Bach have been orchestrated / re-orchestrated into more modern sound


*These are my favorite Bach transcriptions - they are for oboe and orchestra - Played by Albrecht Mayer - It is a set with two cds that were originally released on DG and Decca - this re-release contains more than two hours of Bach transripitions:*
https://www.amazon.de/Bach-Konzerte...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=P1KA2N81R6SNCQ27YNZS









*CD 4 in this box contains a smoking hot concerto version of Bach's Easter Oratorio BWV 249 - ca. 12 minutes - it sounds more like a Bach orchestral suite than a Bach concerto - great stuff:* https://www.amazon.de/Bachianas-R-G...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WB6EDDWRJWD4ARG3VQZ3
















*This is a cd with conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch doing some of Stokowski's Bach transcriptions as well as other transcriptions (Chopin, Debussy etc.). :*
https://www.amazon.de/Stokowski-Tra...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RHVKEKHSVJD33BEYNYCA


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

This is a cd I have had for many, many years, but I haven't played it for a long time -- It includes *re-workings of Bach by Walton, Holst, Elgar, Anton Webern, Respighi and Stokowski:*
















The Danish percussion duo - Safri Duo - made some Bach transcriptions for percussion - not orchestra, but percussion:


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Not exactly an orchestration, but every Bach lover has to hear Nystedt's Immortal Bach at least once.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

There's a cd of arrangements for wind band by premiere orchestrator Lucien Cailliet. Many of the Ormandy recordings are his, and Stokowski clearly cribbed from him. The organ transcriptions for band work better than the ones for orchestra since the organ and band instruments all are wind instruments.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

In my humble opinion most orchestral transcriptions of Bach's organ music are travesties. I do stand piano transcriptions better e.g. by Liszt, Kempff and Myra Hess.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I have always been intrigued by the personally held "fact" that more than those by any other composer a Bach work will survive just about anything done to it in terms of arrangements.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Very true. And I don't think Bach would have minded one bit. He just might regret missing out on the royalties.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Webern's Ricercare is a great idiosyncratic re-orchestration. For something more authentic, always liked this disc


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