Customer Reviews

Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-3; Orchestral Suite No. 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think this is the music they play in heaven. Possibly my favorite music on earth, and I love jazz and rock too. I have heard many other versions of the Brandenburgs, and they all sound quaint and much too fast compared to this. You MUST get the Brandenburgs 4-6 too, so you can hear Rudolph Serkin play the cadenza in Number Five on piano. Yes, it's not authentic, but it is heart-stoppingly, transcendentally beautiful. I love the harpsichord, but I will eat my hat if anyone can get the tenderness and joy out a harpsichord that Serkin gets in this performance. INDISPENSABLE!

I finally have found this recording on cd, as I had the vinyl recordings for years. Much to my suprise, I have never read a review of this particular recording. I have listened to many others, some critically acclaimed, but have never been more satisfied than after listening to these recordings.

J. Sebastian Bach was a very virile, full-blooded man who worked all his life, had two wives, and sired about 20 children. Casals' realizations of Bach's music illustrate Bach's virility and vivacity. Casals conducts the Bach Concerti & Suites as he [Casals] plays the Bach Sonatas: with vim, vigor, and vitality; with rhythm, color, and accent; with dash, esprit, and intellect. In short, these are the very best realizations of the Brandenburgs available--or will ever again be available.

By the way, in these sessions and at rehearsals, Casals conducted sitting down with his cello on which he illustrated the tempi, accents and inflections he wanted for the orchestra, and used his cello bow as a baton. This is as real as it gets!

The soloists are wonderful. The recorded sound is bright and clear. The price is incredibly cheap. What are you waiting for?

I tend to like a more tightly structured, geometric approach to this music, but this recording has its own beauty -- it's definitely of a different era. Modern instruments are just fine, but I do find myself wishing for a recorder instead of a flute in #4 -- to me a flute is just wrong for this music. Otherwise 5 stars -- some passages move me very deeply.

I tend to like a more tightly structured, geometric approach to this music, but this recording has its own beauty -- it's definitely of a different era. Modern instruments are just fine, but I do find myself wishing for a recorder instead of a flute in #4 -- to me a flute is just wrong for this music. Otherwise 5 stars -- some passages move me very deeply.

Having spent some time as a musical host on FM radio, I've been able to audition many of the Brandenburgs. Casals brings to them a feeling that cannot be described, except that it's magnificent, much like that sense that Glenn Gould imparts to his translations.

Although some may be put off by the nontraditional instrumentation (e.g., piano instead of harpsicord), to my ears, these recordings are as perfect as these works get, never failing to put a smile on my face (and I particularly like playing them when I'm stuck in rush hour traffic -- in no time I'm a million miles away!). It's remarkable how good a conductor Casals is, how he is able elicit from the orchestra a seamless and apprently effortless performances akin to those for which he himself was known. Whether you have other versions of these seminal works or not, this CD and its companion are absolute "best buys."

When I first thought I might be interested in classical music, I asked a conservatory teacher to recommend a starting point. He pointed to two recordings of the Brandenburgs, both on period instruments. This was a perfect recommendation to me, as I am often most appreciative of tradition and history. I bought them both, took them in, so they became intimately known to me. Then one day on a whim, I picked this version up, and I thought geez! piano instead of harpsichord? flute instead of recorder? Shouldn't someone be policing these practices? How audacious! Rock n' Roll, baby!