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Bach organ works Posted by Ron Cerabona on July 7, 2026, 6:05 am Hi - which sets of Bach's complete organ works do people recommend? I can't find any reviews on the site (I might be using the wrong search words). "Complete" of course means different things to different organists and compilers.

Re: Bach organ works Posted by Ralph Moore on July 7, 2026, 4:42 pm, in reply to "Bach organ works" Edited by board administrator July 7, 2026, 4:49 pm Ron, this very positive review from 2003 by our colleague Terry Barfoot was re-posted in 2023: https://musicwebinternational.com/2023/05/bach-complete-organ-works-hyperion/ Unfortunately the complete set seems to be no longer available from Presto. Previous Message Hi - which sets of Bach's complete organ works do people recommend? I can't find any reviews on the site (I might be using the wrong search words). "Complete" of course means different things to different organists and compilers.

Re: Bach organ works Posted by Ron Cerabona on July 8, 2026, 7:16 am, in reply to "Re: Bach organ works" Thanks Ralph - As you say it seems to be out of print and used copies are very expensive. I have one CD of the Toccatas and Fugues from it, I think. Best wishes, Ron Previous Message Ron, this very positive review from 2003 by our colleague Terry Barfoot was re-posted in 2023: https://musicwebinternational.com/2023/05/bach-complete-organ-works-hyperion/ Unfortunately the complete set seems to be no longer available from Presto. Previous Message Hi - which sets of Bach's complete organ works do people recommend? I can't find any reviews on the site (I might be using the wrong search words). "Complete" of course means different things to different organists and compilers.

Re: Bach organ works Posted by Des Hutchinson on July 8, 2026, 4:44 am, in reply to "Bach organ works" Ron, there are many complete sets still available, including those by Simon Preston, Kevin Bowyer, Marie-Claire Alain, Alessio Corti, André Isoir, Michel Chapuis, Jacques Amade, Bernard Foccroulle, Gerhard Weinberger, Hans Fagius and David Goode, all estimable players, but the available formats also vary widely, so it may really depend on which you prefer, and naturally your choice is maximised if you can accommodate any of those formats such as CD, SACD and downloads. I have the excellent Kevin Bowyer set in the complete MP3 edition, which was glowingly reviewed here: https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/Apr10/Bach_Organ_Bowyer_NI5280_NI5289_NI1721mp3.htm It comes as physical CD-R discs containing the high bit-rate MP3 files, which can be played on universal players (not CD-only players) and PCs with disc drives. The MP3 files can be easily transferred to other devices such as mobile phones and portable audio players. Previous Message Hi - which sets of Bach's complete organ works do people recommend? I can't find any reviews on the site (I might be using the wrong search words). "Complete" of course means different things to different organists and compilers.

Re: Bach organ works Posted by Ron Cerabona on July 8, 2026, 9:23 am, in reply to "Re: Bach organ works" Thanks Des. I'm still a CD person. Previous Message Ron, there are many complete sets still available, including those by Simon Preston, Kevin Bowyer, Marie-Claire Alain, Alessio Corti, André Isoir, Michel Chapuis, Jacques Amade, Bernard Foccroulle, Gerhard Weinberger, Hans Fagius and David Goode, all estimable players, but the available formats also vary widely, so it may really depend on which you prefer, and naturally your choice is maximised if you can accommodate any of those formats such as CD, SACD and downloads. I have the excellent Kevin Bowyer set in the complete MP3 edition, which was glowingly reviewed here: https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/Apr10/Bach_Organ_Bowyer_NI5280_NI5289_NI1721mp3.htm It comes as physical CD-R discs containing the high bit-rate MP3 files, which can be played on universal players (not CD-only players) and PCs with disc drives. The MP3 files can be easily transferred to other devices such as mobile phones and portable audio players. Previous Message Hi - which sets of Bach's complete organ works do people recommend? I can't find any reviews on the site (I might be using the wrong search words). "Complete" of course means different things to different organists and compilers.

Re: Bach organ works Posted by Evan Blackmore on July 8, 2026, 12:11 pm, in reply to "Re: Bach organ works" Weinberger's set is still very much available on CD, and was reviewed by Dominy Clements here: https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/mar09/Bach_organ_7773632.htm I think that a superb review, because it gives (especially in its final paragraph) a very precise and careful portrait of the set's strengths and weaknesses. One must observe, though, that a CD set of Marie-Claire Alain is being released next month under the title "From Bach to Bach." As I understand, it will contain her third and final (1983) complete cycle of the Bach organ works, plus her 1974 recording of the Art of Fugue (not recorded in 1983), plus some or all of her early non-cycle recordings. The main potential danger is that the new set has been wholly remastered by Art & Son, whose work is quite variable and has received very diverse reviews on this site.

Re: Bach organ works Posted by Ron Cerabona on July 29, 2026, 5:07 am, in reply to "Re: Bach organ works" Thanks! Previous Message Weinberger's set is still very much available on CD, and was reviewed by Dominy Clements here: https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/mar09/Bach_organ_7773632.htm I think that a superb review, because it gives (especially in its final paragraph) a very precise and careful portrait of the set's strengths and weaknesses. One must observe, though, that a CD set of Marie-Claire Alain is being released next month under the title "From Bach to Bach." As I understand, it will contain her third and final (1983) complete cycle of the Bach organ works, plus her 1974 recording of the Art of Fugue (not recorded in 1983), plus some or all of her early non-cycle recordings. The main potential danger is that the new set has been wholly remastered by Art & Son, whose work is quite variable and has received very diverse reviews on this site.

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