Complete Harpsichord Concertos on Antique Instruments [Box set]

Davitt Moroney (Artist, Performer), Karen Flint (Artist, Performer), Arthur Haas (Artist, Performer), JungHae Kim (Artist, Performer), Adam Pearl (Artist, Performer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), none (Conductor), Nina Stern (Performer), Daphna Mor (Performer), Carla Moore (Performer), Martin Davids (Performer), Amy Leonard (Performer), Douglas McNames (Performer), Anne Peterson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Davitt Moroney, Karen Flint, Arthur Haas, JungHae Kim, Adam Pearl, et al.
• Conductor: none
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (May 22, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Plectra Music
• ASIN: B00285QBXK
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,846 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Concerto in A minor for four unaccompanied harpsichords, BWV 1065: [Allegro]

2. Concerto in A minor for four unaccompanied harpsichords, BWV 1065: Largo

3. Concerto in A minor for four unaccompanied harpsichords, BWV 1065: Allegro

4. Concerto in A major, BWV 1055: Allegro

5. Concerto in A major, BWV 1055: Larghetto

6. Concerto in A major, BWV 1055: Allegro ma non tanto

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052:Allegro

2. Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052: Adagio

3. Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052: Allegro

4. Concerto in D major, BWV 1054: [Allegro]

5. Concerto in D major, BWV 1054: Adagio e piano sempre

6. Concerto in D major, BWV 1054: Allegro

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Concerto in C minor for two harpsichords, BWV 1060: Allegro

2. Concerto in C minor for two harpsichords, BWV 1060: Largo ovvero Adagio

3. Concerto in C minor for two harpsichords, BWV 1060: Allegro

4. Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056: Allegro

5. Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056: Adagio

6. Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056: Presto

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a thrilling sound!, February 1, 2010

By 

John J. Schauer (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Complete Harpsichord Concertos on Antique Instruments (Audio CD)

This set is a harpsichord-lover's dream--I can't remember ever being this excited about a harpsichord recording, and I'm a long-time, passionate devotee of harpsichords and harpsichord recordings. There are three elements that account for this "wow factor." First is the level of artistry. The playing of all of the soloists on this set is superb, a few small quirks notwithstanding (particularly some bizarre touches in the D Minor solo concerto). I personally would not employ quite so detached a touch as exhibited by some of the soloists in chordal passages, but I am of the old school of harpsichord playing.

Second is the inspired idea to assemble an ensemble of four antique harpsichords, each from a different "school" of building--a 1707 French instrument by Nicolas Dumont; a 1635 Flemish instrument by Ioannes Ruckers; an anonymous Spanish instrument from the first quarter of the 18th century; and a late 16th-century Italian instrument attributed to Domenicus Pisauriensis. Each country had its own style of building, which resulted in distinctive sounds unique to each tradition. I only wish they had been able to include a German instrument, an obvious choice for Bach's music, but the results they achieve are so glorious that this is a very small quibble. I am no purist by a long shot, and I have no prejudice against modern harpsichords--well, some of them, at least--but this recording is as educational as it is entertaining. Being able to revel in the gorgeous sonorities of these magnificent instruments in various combinations is pure ear candy.

Third is the positively thrilling recorded sound--kudos to engineer George Blood--that puts the harpsichord squarely in the foreground. The harpsichord is one of the most difficult instruments to record well. If mic'd too closely it can sound like a percussion instrument; if too distant, it becomes a tinkling blur in the background, as happened so often on older recordings of these works that pitted an inadequate solo instrument against a large complement of strings. For instance, this is the first recording of the BWV 1064 concerto for three harpsichords on which you can actually hear the theme of the opening ritornello played by the soloists--for years I had thought it was just those syncopated string chords that usually drown out the keyboards. It is clear that the forces behind this recording conceived these concertos not as works for string orchestra with an obbligato harpsichord part, but rather as harpsichord works on which a handful of strings plays along discretely. (On first listening, this recording balance left me hopeful that in the F-Major concerto BWV 1057 they would be able to reign in the piercing stridency of the two solo recorders that has always kept me from enjoying this work--as well as the fourth Brandenburg Concerto from which it is derived--but alas, as on other recordings, here they have the same luster and tonal sheen of factory whistles.) The resulting clarity is astounding. This is harpsichord in your face, and if you love the instrument as much as I do, you will be in seventh heaven. (And if you don't like harpsichord, you wouldn't be considering a recording of Bach's keyboard concerti anyway.) This is not the first set to reduce the orchestra to chamber-music proportions by using only one instrument per line--the old Gustav Leonhardt/Concentus Musicus recordings did the same--but it is the most successful. Every note of the keyboard parts is clearly etched; one could accurately transcribe the harpsichord parts even in the most complex contrapuntal passages simply by listening.

[This recording, by the way, doesn't simply preserve live concert performances, as another review implied. According to a spokesman for the recording company, they combine elements of live performances at the 2007 "Bach in the Barn" festival in Flintwoods with additional recording sessions made around the same time. The bottom line here is that there isn't an iota of audience noise.]

I was especially delighted that the C-major concerto for two harpsichords is presented here without any string accompaniment. Scholars for decades have maintained that the string parts of this concerto seem totally superfluous, but this is the only recording I know of that has the guts to ditch the orchestra altogether. The reasons for this are clearly explained in the set's exemplary program notes, which are written in such a way as to be comprehensible to the total novice while still being informative and interesting to experienced scholars. Another terrific bonus feature is an additional performance of the four-harpsichord concerto BWV 1065 on keyboards alone.

In short, of the eight complete recordings of Bach's harpsichord concertos that I own, this one has become my current favorite, and is likely to remain so for a very long time. If you have an interest in the music of Bach, or simply in the harpsichord itself, you owe it to yourself to obtain this magnificent set.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUSIC HEAVEN, June 23, 2010

By 

Paul Skerry "baroque art" (shrewsbury Ma.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Complete Harpsichord Concertos on Antique Instruments (Audio CD)

This is my 1st. review ever on any product i can't have any distractions when listening to this set. It gives me great joy to listen to this music . I bought this set a few weeks ago and am lost for words to articulate my thoughts . I am a regular joe i play guitar 35 years now most all jim hendrix music however 95% of my time is spent on baroque music to listen to .This set was done with great care and the sound is full and never dull very happy hope to see more reviews on this awesome set!