Customer Reviews

Bach: Harpsichord Concertos 2

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

 

 

I've listened only to volumes 4 and 5 of this set, but the playing is spectacular, from soloists to the chamber group accompanying them, under able and sympathetic direction. I've never heard of any of these players before, but wish I had met them earlier. The pieces are played at wonderfully quick tempi (when called for) that strike me as absolutely correct. How the soloist keep up (of course, they may well be leading the way) is, as with all great players, hard to believe. These recordings show that only the harpsichord can deliver with clarity, and permit the wonderful ornimentation evident in these performances, what Bach wrote for multiple harpsichords. What a pleasure it is to listen to these underplayed works! I've heard some of them before (and even played some movements of two of them), but not all -- and those that I'm hearing for the first time offer fabulous multi-part fugues that ought not to be missed by those who believe, as I do, that Johann Sebastian Bach may have been the greatest of all composers.

The reason why I chose 4 stars instead of 5 is because I am not as familiar with the selections on here compared to CD 1 in this series. The perforformances on here are generally good, though I feel Harpsichord Concertos I was better.