Customer Reviews

Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Pearlman, Boston Baroque

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" is magnificent! The Boston Baroque, under the direction of Martin Pearlman, play on period instruments with freshness and vigor, giving the music that wonderful, slightly "abrasive" quality that I believe baroque music should have. Overall, tempi are faster than more traditional renditions, but never seem rushed. (Faster tempi are probably more in line with Bach's original intentions). The orchestra and conductor make a wonderful team, their enjoyment of the music evident throughout. Sound quality is first-rate. I highly recommend this 2-CD set, especially for those who, like me, enjoy classical music played on period instruments.

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.

This cd set is marvelous. Too often, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos suffer from tired, overblown, lifeless interpretations. Not in this case, as the Boston Baroque's spirited performance breathes life and personality into these recordings. Martin Pearlman and the Boston Baroque ensemble should be commended for their interpretation. From the first concerto to the sixth, every note is played with a joy that is contagious and is sure to lift the spirit.

I once owned a copy of the Concerti performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Saar under Karl Ristenpart. I was looking for a recording that would match it for sheer gusto. This recording exceeds it. Mr. Pearlman and the Boston Baroque play with joyful intensity, and the technical quality is terrific.

I own nearly every Brandenburg recording. This is my favorite. A joy in every respect. Boston Baroque is truly and American treasure. All of their recordings are totally fresh and exhilerating to listen to.

J.S. Bach composed his most famous work- the 6 Brandenburg Concertos to the ruling family of Brandenburg in Germany. These works are exquisite. Pearlman is very masterful and captures the essence of these concertos. The 3rd is a tapestry of sounds, a canon or counterpoint of strings and winds. The concertos are rich and mark the brilliant Baroque period. Any classical fan must have them or at least one. Bach of course, is the Father of Music. His music has left a mark in history and made it possible for later composers to create mastepieces. I highly recommend this recording because Pearlman is the best interpretor of Bach, as Neville Marriner is for Mozart.

This performance of the Brandenburg Concertos made me believe that even music played a zillion times can still be exciting like a first listening. The Boston Baroque/Perelmann performnace is breath taking. Highly recomanded, even to people how think they can not stand another performnace of the Brandenburgs.

I was always a fan of Mozart. To me, classical music was Mozart and only Mozart. That was until I heard the Brandenburg Concertos. These six movements opened my eyes and ears to the beautiful music of J.S. Bach.

This two disc set by the Boston Baroque to me is the quintessential interpretation. There are many other very good versions out there, but this one seems to stick out head and shoulders above the rest.

If you are a fan of music and don't have any Bach in your collection, get this. Young, old, middle-age, this is music that can (and should) be enjoyed by any generation. While Mozart's music is undeniably beautiful, Bach's works take first place in my opinion. This CD is a wonderful example why.

I was looking for a good version of the concerts to keep forever and forget about others. And I found it. The Boston Baroque makes the best performance I have ever heard of the Six Concertos. Each CD also includes a little booklet with comments of each concerto (not extremely detailed but interesting).

Careful! The "air" is not the usual modern one, that we might be used to. It is also performed on period instruments. But trust me (as it happened to me!). Listen to both CDs a couple of times and you'll realize that buying any other version is a waste of money.

You will fall in love with them.

All of the preceding reviews linked to this item (Complete Brandenburg Concertos, Consortium Musicum) are actually reviews of the CD set by Pearlman and the Boston Baroque! There are similarities, but they are not the same.

First, an important difference: these recordings have the tempi spot-on. The Pearlman treatment is overly fast throughout.

Second, a disappointing similarity: The second movement of Concerto 3 is missing what most scholars consider an obligatory improvisation. Would Bach write a second movement consisting of only two chords spanning a mere 13 seconds? One's appetite is whetted, but then the third movement starts...

Technique throughout is simply amazing. Considering the use of period instruments, some of the playing is unexpectedly precise. The harpsichord is particularly well done. The cadenza at the end of the first movement of Concerto 5 is just fantastic. Concerto 4 is a perfect blend of virtuoso performances -- it practically floats on air, and every part is clear and strong.

Your collection should not be without this work, and at $5.99, there's nothing holding you back.