When I offer music by someone as well-known as Johann Sebastian Bach, you can bet there's an unusual angle to it. In this case, we have two out of print 1992 Hänssler Classic CDs of some of the least-heard orchestral music Bach wrote -- the introductions and interludes from twenty-three of his cantatas (the only ones of his 200-some to have purely orchestral sections). They stand just fine on their own without the vocals that they were designed to precede, and when heard one after another like this feel like an extended Ouverture (Suite) akin to JSB's other four in that genre. There are a couple that are more famous from when Bach reused them in later works, but for the most part this box set is 111 minutes of good orchestral Bach you've probably not heard before. Helmuth Rilling leads whats listed here as the "Bach-Ensemble" but is really members of the Stuttgart Bach Collegium.
Discs, booklets, and cases are in very good condition, though there is some writing on the tray-inlay cards -- correcting the timings.
Shipping rates:
US customers: Options are USPS Media Mail at $4.50 for this set, $1 for each additional disc paid for at the same time, or USPS Ground Advantage at $5.25 for this set, $1.25 for each additional disc paid for at the same time.
The USPS no longer offers
cheap international shipping of thin envelopes with merchandise, BUT if
you order many discs together the new rate is about the same as it was
before. Therefore...
Canadian customers: Options are Economy shipping, which is First Class but *without* the plastic "jewel" cases, at $15 for this box set and UP TO TWO MORE CDs, $24 for this box set and THREE OR MORE CDs; or First Class *with* the plastic cases included, at $19 for this box set and $4 for each additional disc.
Customers in other countries: Options are Economy shipping, which is First Class but *without* the plastic "jewel" cases, at $18 for this box set and UP TO TWO MORE CDs, $30 for this box set and THREE OR MORE CDs; or First Class *with* the plastic cases included, at $25 for this box set and $6 for each additional disc.
You may wait as long as you wish before paying, to combine auction wins and save on shipping -- especially important for International customers. Please check out my other auctions, here.