Customer Reviews

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

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Nikolaus Harnoncourt provides one of the great five star performances of Bach's legendary Bradenburg Concertos. Despite being recorded in 1964, the sound quality is fresh, crisp, with a remarkable sense of presence. The performances are spirited and authentic played on historical instruments. These are the recordings I listened to years ago which made me fall in love with these delightful compositions when they were available as a very aristocratic looking boxed set on Telefunken records. Though the CD packaging doesn't equal the majesty of the original LP's, the booklet is complete and informative.

Those insisting on more modern technology might consider Trevor Pinnock's contributions which were my CD mainstay until I discovered my great originals were available on CD.

For a more orchestral sound on standard instruments, nothing beats Neville Marriner with St. Martin's-in-the-Field.

Still, for the honest intimate feel of Bach's beautiful music, this is the version to enjoy!J

This is a rarity in musical recordings: once heard this rendition of the Brandenburg Concertos renders all other recordings as if in error. Most of all the tempo is somehow always perfect. Of course, I love the antique instrumentation with the harpsichord at center, but most of all it is the agile tempo of the performance that makes other recordings seem dull, or distorted. Recordings which use modern instruments somehow also sound lazy and out of condition. Romantic instrumentation also sounds uncoordinated in comparison to this lithe, and spirited performance.

I had an LP recording of this performance which I bought in the late 1960s, and which I loved as much as any other music I owned, most of which was folk, blues, rock, and jazz. This performance delighted, and soothed me. It sounded wonderful on a very excellent stero system from that period. On my new 2011 MacBook Pro computer, the balance of the recording is more brassy than my memory recalls, and as fine as my computer is, an adequate sound system it is not. The clarity of the music is excellent, and I would never know that it was recorded so early in the 1960s. I have yet to play my CDs on a modern full speaker system so I cannot say if the balance between the gorgeous harpsichord and the horns will sound smoother to me. The stringed instruments, in particular what I believe may be a "modern" violin, sound grand.

I love these Brandenburgs more than any other Bach composition, and I favor Bach more than most classical composers. And I must say I have never experienced the phenomenon of this recording any other time: where all other performances of these works just sound wrong after becoming accustomed to this performance.

I will keep these performances of the Brandenburg Concertos carefully with me for the rest of my life. I lost them once, and will not do without them again!

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Conductor), Concentus Musicus Wien (Orchestra)

Of all the CDs, records, and tapes of the Brandenburg Concerto, the Harnoncourt version is the best.

I originally heard the recording on Television, in a PBS show years ago. Probably there is a 33 disk recording.

Definitely a tape. I still have the two set tape edition. I also own the CD version which Amazon.com sells.

A good use for the recording is to play the music while studying, learning, or reading. It is believed that the music works with your brain waves.

Instrumentation: Unlike other version of the Brandenburg, Harnoncourt uses only original instruments which were played in Bach's time. There is no piano, but a harpsichord. Recorders. Possibly the only modern instrument in the recording is a violin.

Recommendation: Harnoncourt's version is definitely the version to get.