Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6, Orch Suites, Triple Concerto [Import]

J.S. Bach (Artist), Nicolet (Artist), Munich Bach Orch (Artist), Richter (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Import
• Label: Dg Imports
• ASIN: B000060O58
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,819 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Very few conductors have recorded as much Bach as Karl Richter and none can lay a stronger claim to a legacy based on championing the master. Richter's reverence for Bach is evinced by the simplicity, splendor, and grandeur with which he consistently imbued his performances exemplified here by these landmark recordings of the Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites. In Archiv's original-image bit-processing remastered transfers as well, the sound is better than ever. This is cornerstone Bach that should not be missed.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Festival for the Heart., October 6, 2004

By 

Pupil (Malkuth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6, Orch Suites, Triple Concerto (Audio CD)

This is priceless music-making. One can really feel that Richter is performing and conducting from his own heart and love for Bach, and all the while the orchestra is inspired to sing and to dance with him. The horns are laughing, the violins singing, and the listener is invited to experience flashes of happiness and joy with the chattering harpsichord.

When celestial music meets the summit of man's creative and loving spark, we lucky amateurs are left with this kind of immortal recording: glorious!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Kapellmeister Tradition at its Best, August 30, 2007

By 

Johannes Climacus "Listening for Enjoyment" (Beverly, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6, Orch Suites, Triple Concerto (Audio CD)

Karl Richter represents the Kapellmeister tradition at its best. Yes, it does have a best! That tradition's performance practice has little in common with today's period ensembles, and for that reason the musicologically inclined will find little to enjoy in this set. Others will delight in Richter's invigorating, superbly played Brandenburgs (with outstanding soloists, including Richter himself on the harpsichord). The Suites are less satisfying, in part because Richter's well-upholstered textures and inclination toward rhythmic rigidity are more damaging in these dance-inspired works. The "Triple Concerto" could also use a lighter touch, though one appreciates Richter's intense involvement with the score (he takes it more seriously than many conductors). Overall, I enjoyed this set immensely, but I'm of a generation that had to "relearn" how to listen to Baroque music in light of contemporary notions of period performance practice. Younger listeners with an open mind should hear this, however, just to get a sense of how Bach was performed over a generation ago.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendour, grandeur and joyous energy, March 12, 2010

By 

Rasmus Oerndrup (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6, Orch Suites, Triple Concerto (Audio CD)

There is a certain sort of splendour, grandeur and joyous energy to these recordings that you just don't find in modern ones (it simply makes you happy). However the sound is not as good as in newer recordings - these recordings are from the sixties. If you want modern, period instrument interpretations with clean sound and some of the same qualities, I would recommend Jordi Savall's recording of the Brandenburg Concertos (on Astrée/Naive) and Ton Koopman's recording of the Orchestral Suites (on Erato/Warner Classics).

22 Oct 2009
Since I wrote the review above I have been listening a lot to Jordi Savall's recording of the Orchestral Suites (on Astree/Naive). And by now I must say it is my favourite. Savall presents these great works with grand majestic solemnity. Besides his interpretation of the famous Air from the Third Suite is the most beautiful version I have ever heard. So my recommendation is Savall in both the Brandenburg Concertos and the Orchestral Suites.