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| Bach: The Art of Fugue; Musical Offering | 
enlarge | Creators: Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Munchinger, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester Label: Decca Category: Music
List Price: $17.98 Buy New: $12.36 You Save: $5.62 (31%)
Buy New/Used from $12.36
Avg. Customer Rating:   (14 reviews) Sales Rank: 7587
Media: Audio CD Discs: 2 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 467267 UPC: 028946726723 EAN: 0028946726723 ASIN: B000050GK0
Release Date: March 13, 2001 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| | Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus I | | | Contrapunctus II | | | Contrapunctus III | | | Contrapunctus IV | | | Contrapunctus V | | | Contrapunctus VI | | | Contrapunctus VII | | | Contrapunctus VIII | | | Contrapunctus IX | | | Contrapunctus X | | | Contrapunctus XI | | | Canon alla octava | | | Canon alla duodecima | | | Canon alla decima | | | Canon per augmentationem in contrario moto | | | Contrapunctus XII (rectus) | | | Contrapunctus XII (inversus) | | | Fuga a 2 Clavicemabli (rectus) | | | Fuga a 2 Clavicemabli (inversus) |
Disc 2
| | Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus XII (rectus) | | | Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus XII (inversus) | | | Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: Fuga a 4 soggetti | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Ricercar a 3 | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon perpetuus a 2 | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 violini in unisono | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 per motum contrarium | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 per augmentationem, contrario motu | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 per tonos | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon perpetuus contrario motu | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon a 4 | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Fuga canonica | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata a 3: I - Largo | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata a 3: II - Allegro | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata a 3: III - Andante | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Sonata a 3: IV - Allegro | | | Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: Ricercar a 6 |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
  otherworldly music April 24, 2008 this is not a review of the relative merit of this recording vis-a-vis the merit of other recordings of Bach's Musical Offering. It is a comment on the nature of the music compared with other Bach pieces. I continue to listen to this incredulously and attempt to historically place it in some context with other Bach pieces I am familiar with. It just doesn't jive. Is there any semblance to the melodic baroque of the Brandenburg concertos, or a likeness of complexity to the Passions? I find none. As a matter of fact I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been written in the nineteenth century. The rampant dissonances and modern turn of musical phrase are truly illustrative of Bach's breadth of imagination.
  A Musical Offering - Hard Core Bach January 30, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Enough has already been said about "The Art of the Fugue." It's a great work and this is a good CD for it. What intrigues me is the "Musical Offering." What do you do when a tyrannical despot who has essentially created modern Prussia at the point of a gun, with seeming contempt, throws down a challenge to you and everything you stand for and hold dear? Fredrick the Great had Bach hauled (metaphorically, not literally) into his presence so that he could throw a 21 note string melody at him. Fredrick generally despised Bach's music as antiquated and academic. These notes were deliberately put together (according to some - see my review of "Evening in the Palace of Reason") to humiliate him. Bach took the challenge, went away and came back with what is now known as the "Musical Offering." In effect, from top to bottom, from the deliberate inscription in the German language rather than Fredrick's preferred French, it is an "in your face" - "back at ya' " work that eminently satisfies all the rules of music and more importantly, truth. This work is a celebration of order over chaos and is, to my mind, most enjoyable when heard against that background.
I think the first movement is the best. It sums up all the rest and alone would have been sufficient to the challenge. All the rest, although superb, are really just icing on the cake. None of it is music that will set you humming the rest of the day. That is not the point. The power of the movements, the cosmic orbit of counter-point themes in the canons revolving around the challenger's 21 notes, transcend mere melody. This is philosophy in sound, the reproof of error and the despising of mere mortal power, all proclaimed in brilliant composition.
Read "An Evening in the Palace of Reason" or some other work that gives some insight into Bach's life and approach to music and then listen to this work. It always lifts my heart to hear it. The good guy's work is eternal even if the despot got the glory in his life time.
  Step Into The World Of Bach June 9, 2007 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have nothing but good things to say about this double album. These extremely well-balanced compositions are sure to enthrall listeners with the most discerning taste. The theme here is point and counterpoint, done to perfection. These pieces are like complex equations, only done with music instead of numbers. Bach had an amazing musical mind, and this music showcases that. There is so much to the music; it is quite rich and there is so much going on here that you may not process it all the first time. If you like classical music and Bach's style, this is essential for your collection.
  Great recordings May 20, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After I read Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment (P.S.), I had to have "Musical Offering" and "The Art of Fugue," and bought this version based on recommendations. The performance by an orchestra, rather than a single instrument such as a piano or harpsichord, seems to bring out the different voices. I listen to it over and over, and never tire of it.
  Magisterial and Ethereal November 28, 2006 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
As a college student, this 2-cd set has proven itself to be one of the most versatile and beautiful tools with which I can create an atmosphere amenable to studtying and doing homework. But it is not merely a background music; to be fully appreciated, it needs to be listened to while gently resting one's eyes (take care not to fall asleep -- a precaution against such is to have the music up rather high, although not painfully so).
I've listened to the whole set at least once a week since I've come to Stony Brook; its staying power, its ability to never seem to get trite or "used to" is so powerful that it really inspires. Only God (or the Divine Impetus, or whatever one wants to term the higher order), working through Bach, could have produced such an entrancing set of music.
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