Decca's
50 x Bach is a generous collection of excerpts and short pieces by
Johann Sebastian Bach, the Baroque genius many regard as the greatest composer of all time. The three CDs in this set consist of the best-known selections from such revered masterworks as the Mass in B minor, the Goldberg Variations, the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, the St. Matthew Passion, and the various cantatas, concertos, sonatas, suites, and other pieces that are counted among
Bach's greatest achievements. The roster of performers includes
Neville Marriner,
András Schiff,
Simon Preston,
Heinz Holliger,
Iona Brown,
Arthur Grumiaux,
Kyung-Wha Chung,
Joshua Rifkin,
Salvatore Accardo, and
Peter Hurford, among several others, whose critically praised recordings for Decca and Universal have been mainstays in the catalog. Because these tracks have been drawn from past recordings made between 1963 and 1993 in analog and digital formats, there is some variability in audio quality, though the volume levels are well-balanced throughout.