Your JS Bach favourites ?

Personnaly, I think it's the Goldberg Variations. I did not discover them first - it was the Brandenburg Concertos that hooked me first IIRC - and did not even like them that much at first listen (it was Gould's early recording).

It's funny to know that at first the Goldberg Variations were principally considered an exercise.

Have a taste of it if you don't know them: Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV.

I'm personally very partial to his organ works, hard to pick out a particular favourite though... perhaps the Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 548.

I love his choral works, particularly the Passion according to St. Matthew.

*edit : there was a problem with my browser showing me i double posted.
my post was something like this:

" i think keith jarret sounds better in jazz. i dont like his way of playing bach ( i didnt hear him play anything else)
he "stretches" , meaning, when the speedy parts start, he speeds up too much , and when there are slow parts, he plays much too slow, trying to be romantic.
when it comes to Bach, i prefer Glen Gould's playing.his playing is more "plain" ( plain in a good way.the notes are not too slow in the slow parts, and deep enough in the speedy parts.)

im listening now to the "passions".
it is simply fantastic.im mesmerized......

I'm just getting into classical music from - gasp - black/death and other extreme metal!

The last weekened I saw a documentary about the Bach interpreter Glenn Gould and I got so fascinated by his way of playing and the way he performed Bach that I had to check out some of his works and along with that I got some other Bach things. So I would say Gould's interpretations of the "Goldberg Variations" and "English Suites". Other than that I've only really heard the ol' classics most people have heard, Air and of course the... ah, I'll just copy it from Wikipedia since I'm not a musical authority but rather an enthusiast willing to learn; "Johann Sebastian Bach's badinerie from his Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor for flute and strings, BWV 1067."

Guess I'll check out some of the stuff which you think are the best. ;)

I just got the GV by Tureck. I must admit they can work on the piano and Tureck is very, very good. On harpsichord my champion undoubtedly is Pierre Hantaï (both 1992 and 2003).
The Werkverzeichnis 1050-1060 range of harpsichord concertos has some awesome pieces. The final Allegro of BWV 1052 is incredible. Comparing Leonhardt, Hantaï and Andras Staier leaves Hantaï as the most refreshing.
For the AoF I would mention Alessandrini here and both Gould recordings of the WTK for the fun of it and the heroism.
One fun piece to juxtapose is the Fantasie a-moll, BWV 922 played by Alfred Brendel on Piano and Staier on Cembalo.

My favourite works are the lute compositions of Bach. The best recording of Bach lute works is probably played by Hopkinson Smith. I prefer performances with the lute, although I have also heard some good modern guitar performances.

The Brandenburg Concertos are also a big favourite of mine.

An impossible question to answer but for the last month or so it's been the Violin Sonatas and Partitas and mostly by Itzhak Perlman.

Though it's also almost impossible to go without a daily Cantata or two.

I love the violin sonatas. The ones I have are performed by Nathan Milstein.

First things that comes to my mind, the Goldberg variations, the partitas (favorite interpret Scott Ross), Saint John Passion, cantates "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" and "Ich habe genug" (favorite director Philippe Herreweghe)

I love the his organ works he did especially Präludium und Fuge C-Dur and Toccata und Fuge d-Moll.

Anything in a minor scale and played by Gould. Well Tempered Clavier, French and English Suites especially.