“A Divine Union” It is on a very rare occasion that recording artists as well as recording engineers come together, as if by fate, to make an illustrious recording as done here. I believe that has happened with this recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti. The musicians play with much vigor, excitement, and virtuosity throughout. They rely upon the use of period instruments that definetely, to my ears, sound much more fitting to this music than the modern instruments used today. The recording engineers are every bit as talented as as the musicians in their own regard. All the musicians are recorded with plenty of breathing room allowing them space to blend well whereas 99% of recordings today are so closely miked it’s as if the instrument is in your face. I’d have to say that of my entire music collection this budget priced cd is now my audiophile reference disc(s). I’ve listened to snippets of various recordings of this work at prices in the $30 range and have not been impressed by the music m…
Product Description The Brandenburg Concertos seem to be Bach’s most popular works by far, and there are so many recordings of them out there–on period instruments and “modern,” and at all price ranges. Of course, it’s hard to pick out one or even two to call the “best”–but this reissue of a 1989 recording by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has a good claim for the title of “Best Buy Brandenburgs.” These performances don’t have the splashy extroversion of Il Giardino Armonico or the caffeine-pumped, high-velocity thrill of Musica Antiqua K?ln, but they’re not overly reserved or dull, as some English ensembles are accused of being. The OAE’s instrumental playing is very skillful indeed, with particularly nice work from the horns in the third movement of the First Concerto, and from trumpeter Mark Bennett in the Second; and the tempos are moderately quick (which means that they would have been considered rather fast before 1980 or so), but without being breathless. The slow movements sing sweetly–the viola playing of Monica Huggett and Pavlo Besnosiuk in the slow movement of the Sixth Concerto is especially lovely–and the quick outer movements have an infectiously bouncy pulse. If money is no object, you might want to consider Il Giardino Armonico or the Akademie f¨¹r Alte Musik Berlin, but these here are surely the best Brandenburgs available at such a low price. –Matthew Westphal |
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One of the best recordings of Branderburg concertos  I own quite a few recordings of the Branderburg concertos (Suzuki, Saval, Boston Baroque…) this one is one of the best. There is an evident feel of musical joy coming out of this recording. I can’t find other ways to describe it. Highly recommended…. Think Higher my copy was ok Try before you buy |
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2 Comments until now
Could be great.
I got a gift certificate for Borders and I decided to get this as I have been wanting it despite reports of the same music being on both discs. I brought it out to the van and immediately played both CDs and they both were the exact same music. I return the disc at Borders before we left the parking lot. What little we played sounded so right. Brilliant energy and refinement. Excellent sound quality. If I knew I could get one that was manufactured correctly I would purchase it in a heart beat.
Very Dissapointing.
Production Error
I would like to confirm the problem reported by Mr. Whittet. I purchased the disks in November 2005 and found the same mistake that he did. Disk 1 has the same music as Disk 2.
In other ways this is a spectacular recording. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment gives a graceful and articulate reading of the concertos, and the recorded sound is clear, warm, and spacious. But, despite the bargain price, it’s not worth it just to get two copies of concertos 4-6.
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