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JÖRG DEMUS PLAYS BACH (An MHS Main Selection)
JÖRG DEMUS PLAYS BACH (An MHS Main Selection)
An MHS Main Selection - Free for Members. Over 4 Hours of Bach.
Ah, even in today’s miraculous technology-driven “best of all possible worlds” we’ll barely scratch the surface when presented with this MHS exclusive – Bach’s Six Partitas, the Goldberg Variations, Italian Overture, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue and assorted smaller pieces – left in the sincere and humble hands of Jörg Demus. --The Musical Heritage Review

I think this set is analogous to one of those large books you get when the gift giver isn’t sure but they try and surround you with something pleasant so they can come close to the happiness mark, if not hit a complete bullseye. And it’s handy to have those items around when you’re looking for a moment or two of distraction, just like a collection of New Yorker comics, you can sit and enjoy 15 minutes and then move on to the other dreary tasks of the day, and you don’t have to feel as if you’ve left something behind (except more Bach or more Roz Chast).
My own preference would be to call Jorg Demus Plays Bach a forest bath of Bach (J.S. with a bit of C.P.E added in). This collection will surround you in filtered musical sunlight, for a journey determined by your own desire for comfort and your own listening stamina. There’s certainly enough here if you’re parched and in serious need, but as stated above, if you’re looking for a quick drink, a short hike through a heavenly meadow, this might the very thing.
As stated in the opening – we could fill this entire magazine just with the history and our thoughts about the keyboard works of Bach included here. Perhaps Bach’s original title for what is now known as the Six Partitas, BWV 825-830 is perfect for this set - “Keyboard Exercise: Consisting of Preludes, Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabandes, Gigues, Minuets, and other Galanteries, Composed for the Pleasurable Diversion of Music Lovers.” (Note: judging from the original title, precious little has changed in the marketing of Bach's music since Bach himself was doing it...)
Harpsichordist Davitt Maroney makes an interesting point in writing about Bach’s Partitas. Most of Bach’s works were hand copied and distributed, but the Partitas were officially published by Bach, and heavily annotated with dynamic markings and performance suggestions by J.S. himself. Bach’s directions were criticized, and Maroney suggests this might have held back Bach’s reputation for a time, as his instructions led to unsatisfactory interpretations. Maroney – to use up my finite space with an anecdote – suggests that we continue to stick to Bach’s original suggestions because he sent his compositional “children” out into the world fully clothed, instead of allowing them to wander naked and afraid through musical history. And to argue – unintentionally - both for and against, Maroney holds up Dinu Lipatti’s famous performance the second movement of Bach’s Partita No. 1 as an exact reason why we should stick to Bach’s concise notes. Lipatti speeds through the Allemande, creating more of a “nocturne” and not an Allemande at all. The traffic cop Maroney does admit that Lipatti's performance is, in fact, beautiful, if not at all close to an Allemande, and therefore not really what Bach had in mind.
As omnipresent as the Goldberg Variations are today, complete performances of the work only began in the 1930s. Commissioned as one of the first uses of music as an aid to good sleep, these variations have transcended their original purpose and find Bach’s inspiration at its greatest level. Many have written that Bach’s keyboard works – for organ and harpsichord – are his attempts at conversations with the Almighty. In the Goldberg Variations he steps aside from the grandeur and the attempts to create a musical version of Heaven to work in a full range of emotions simply and effectively – 30 variations of a gentle aria, lasting barely one minute.
The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue - not named by J.S. Bach who referred to it as a fantasia and added the fugue later - was a work that helped establish his reputation during his lifetime, and was a favorite of composer-performers like Mendelssohn and Brahms when Bach’s reputation was restored in the mid 1800s. The fantasia is unmistakably unique and a keyboard Everest.
J.S. Bach created the Anna Magdelena Songbook for his second wife, following a tradition he began with his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedrich. Much of it is written out in Bach’s own hand, and it contains much of what is now included in the French Suites, and there are many sketches and works adapted from better known works simply to fit on the allotted pages (the first Prelude of the Well-Tempered Clavier is slightly shortened and included in this collection). It may serve history more as a reflection of the exceptional musical tastes of the Bach household rather than as a key document in Bach’s compositional career.


Let customers speak for us
from 21 reviewsDelightful performance by a renown chamber orchestra.
So glad to have this musical program back in my collection. Lost the original CD in a house fire...now the digital version I just bought is backed up safely for the future.
My home was swamped by floodwaters from hurricane Ian in Sept 2022. As I dumped waterlogged furniture and boxes, I opened one and there were several editions of the MHS Review magazine from years ago. Though they were not salvageable I was joyously happy when MHS returned to the musical scene. Precise musicianship, period instruments when required, and attention to performance detail have always been a hallmark of MHS recordings. This one is no different, and I am glad to endorse it as a good introduction to the Baroque and Classical composers listed. JUST BUY IT!
Nicely presented; vibrant.
Felt like I was transported to the shore of the Mediterranean.
I like the calming effect of this album. You can use it while reading, thinking or doing work. Good background music.
This is one of the most stimulating discs of Elizabethan keyboard music that I have heard, and if music-lovers don’t go for it in a big way they don’t deserve to have such delights on offer
This wonderful resource is affordable and offers so many rich recordings across the spectrum of serious music. Very worthwhile and rewarding!
One of my top three favorite Schubert symphonies. He died much, much too young.
This is a lively Symphony. It's great background music when you're doing light tasks. It keeps you alert.
This is an extremely pleasant recording. The piano sonatas are not profound by any means, but it's easy to find profound music. It's not quite as easy to find such cheerful music. An excellent all around disc.
A lively-paced selection that keeps you going. This is good background music when you are doing a task.
Tartini is often thought of as a devilish violinist, evidently because of his reputation for eccentric, flamboyant performances, but these concertos are surprisingly sweet and pleasant to hear. This makes a very successful acquisition.
Only wish the whole symphony could be played at once rather that finding the movement
This selection keeps you alert. They're not meant to have a calming influence on you. Has good violin playing.
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