Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Pearlman, Boston Baroque, Christopher Krueger, Marc Schachman, Daniel Stepner, Friedemann Immer - Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Pearlman, Boston Baroque

Boston Baroque and Martin Pearlman recorded a splendid set of the Brandenburg Concertos on period instruments in 1993 and 1994. Made entirely in the US, these snappy, crisply articulated, and fluent performances rely heavily on the talents of violinist Daniel Stepner (who doubles as one of the two solo violists in Concerto No. 6). Among the highlights are the joyous finale to Concerto No. 4 and the superb cembalo cadenza in No. 5, played by Pearlman. Along with outstanding sound, there's a winning sense of freshness and discovery in these performances. --Ted Libbey Amazon.com

Baroque by Bach

Perhaps it is the romantic in me that enervates a sense of anticipation when superlative musicians take up period instruments to play great master's works in the manner in which they were written.

In this case I believe that also means enjoying the work with a slightly faster Tempi than accustomed.

Beautiful music making for beautiful space. October 7, 2008

Brilliant with caveats

I bought this recording after seeing rave reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere. Mostly those reviews are justified. The sound is outstanding, whether because of the period instruments or the quality of recording. The many voices are brought out, especially in the first concerto, as they rarely are on other recordings. The musicianship is outstanding.

Now the things I didn't like (but others may like them):

1. The tempi are way too fast for my taste. One of my favourite movements, the last "allegro" of the third concerto, is played prestissimo, which entirely spoils it for me. And it is not the only one. Most movements are faster than normal, none are slower.

2. In the solo bits -- particularly the cadenza in the fifth concerto -- there is too much rubato. Too often rubato is used as an excuse for disentangling the fingers rather than to add to the music. If it is such a good idea, why is it never used (unless explicitly scored) in the orchestral sections?

3. Bach wrote only two cadence chords for the middle movement of the third concerto. A cadence concludes a movement, but what do they conclude here? Obviously an impromptu movement that a soloist is supposed to conclude. Some performers oblige (eg, Neville Marriner/Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; the long out-of-print Harry Newstone/Hamburger Kammerorchester). Some cop-out by introducing an extraneous slow movement, from another Bach piece, that ends in the same chords (eg, Menuhin/Bath Festival Orchestra). But the worst sort of cop-out is to just play those two chords and nothing else. Which is what these performers do. Pearlman states sonorously, in the liner notes, that "there is no reason to suppose that anything else is meant to be supplied here..." Oh yes, there is. To play just those chords and nothing else is "musical nonsense" (as I recall the liner notes to the Newstone LP saying.) Moreover, though improvisation fell out of favour in 20th-century classical music, it was an important part of music from before Bach (the Handel/Scarlatti duel is famous) up until Liszt and beyond.

If things like the above bother you, don't buy these CDs -- at least, not without hearing them first. May 15, 2008

Wonderful

This two CD music set is wonderful, I have listen to it every week and am delighted to have added it to my collection. Worth the money. March 18, 2008

Best of baroque

If you are a lover of the baroque era, then this 2-CD collection performed by Boston Baroque is as good as it gets. The recordings have a faster tempi which sounds very good on most of these concertos and they are crisp and clear. The transitions, from the end of one , to the beginning of the next concerto are particularly good...they appera continuous. This is a collection that I had been looking for a long time and finally managed to find. March 9, 2008

Fantastic Rendition

This is a fantastic set of Concertos with a unique period sound, brisk pace and clear articulation. I highly recommend this distinct recording for those individuals with an interest in J.S. Bach and/or the famous Brandenburg Concertos.

Highly recommended. November 6, 2007

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