Panorama: Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. 1

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Reinhard Goebel (Conductor), Trevor Pinnock (Conductor, Performer), Musica Antiqua Köln (Performer, Orchestra), English Concert (Performer), Kenneth Gilbert (Performer), Lars Ulrik Mortensen (Performer), English Consort (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Trevor Pinnock, Musica Antiqua Köln, English Concert, Kenneth Gilbert, Lars Ulrik Mortensen
• Orchestra: Musica Antiqua Köln, English Consort
• Conductor: Reinhard Goebel, Trevor Pinnock
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (September 26, 2000)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B00004W3IL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,213 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Performed on original instruments, this two-CD collection includes some racy performances of Bach's concerti. Although the recordings themselves were made more than 10 years ago, they are very clear and lively, and they're performed by leading exponents of period performance. For those who are new to "authentic" performances, aside from the differing sound quality and articulation, one might be surprised by the fact that the speeds of the various movements are much quicker than one might think. Also immediately apparent is the phrasing by Reinhard Goebel and the Musica Antiqua Köln in the Brandenburgs, which conveys a beautiful line that is hard to achieve on these types of instruments. There are indeed some other stunning highlights: the Adagio from Brandenburg No. 1, the technically demanding trumpet obbligato from No. 2, the almost uncomfortably quick Allegro from No. 3, and the superb violin virtuosity of No. 4. Overall, the performances compare very favorably with the many others on the market. If you want a more conservative interpretation, try the Tafelmusik version on Sony. --Dominic Sewell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goebel's Brandenburg performance, October 10, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Panorama: Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

I've been so many years listenig to baroque music; in fact now I enjoy performing it. As a baroque 'listener', I always pretend to find the best performance of the works I'm looking for. I had listened to many preformances of the Brandenburg Concerti, but I was never happy whith them: sometimes it was the tempo, the instruments were not ancient ones, or even I could find really boring ways of performing them! One day I found By chance Goebel's version, and I knew that it was going to be the performance I had been looking for it since many years ago. I strongly recomend them to anyone interested in this kind of music, and specially, in German baroque.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking, April 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Panorama: Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

Quite simply, the best recording of the Brandenburgs out there. The solos are stunning (especially Goebel's violin solo in Concertos 1 and 4), the sound of the ensemble is warm and full (unlike the thin, bland sound of most British groups such as the English Concert or the Academy of Ancient Music), and the recording quality is spectacular. This CD has become famous among early music aficionados for its rather unorthodox choices for tempi; I once read a review which referred to this recording as "Punk Barock." Admittedly, the tempi are considerably faster than most other recordings of this work, but where is it written that Baroque music has to be played in a standard, plodding, unoriginal, and unexciting way? Goebel and his group bring these pieces alive and the music sparkles. But in spite of the brisk tempi, it never seems as if it is fast just for the sake of being fast--Goebel never loses the musical lines within each piece. Even in the last movement of Brandenburg 3--probably the most "over-the-top" movement in the set--the group still brings out the little intricacies which make the Brandenburgs a masterpiece. And hey, as I've always said: if you've got it, flaunt it. Just because other ensembles can't play as fast doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with Goebel's interpretation. And don't be fooled by the large number groups in recent years who have tried to imitate Goebel's "go-for-broke" approach--Il Giardino Armonico comes to mind, for example. Musica Antiqua Koln did it first and it did it much better. So if you want a typical boring and uninspired version of the Brandenburg Concerti, then go out and buy the versions of Boston Baroque or the English Concert. If you want an exciting version of these works, buy the Giardino or the Camarata of the 18th Century version. But if you want to be taken into a completely different realm of music-making, buy the Musica Antiqua Koln recording. It is as perfect a performance of music as you will ever find.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good (and fast), March 23, 2001

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This review is from: Panorama: Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

I think this is my favorite copy.

This is my fourth copy of the Brandenburg contertos. The other ones are by conducted by Christopher Hogwood (good), Benjanmin Britten (also good), and a version by Boston Baroque (which was just pathetic, I had to throw that away not to subject anybody else to it!).

If you're tired of sappy, long winded, boring, and vibrato-rich romantic interpertations of baroque music, you'll like this version. But just so you get a feel for the speed, they did fit 5 concetos on one cd. The extra concertos on the second cd were also good (and didn't feel so fast).

Concerto #2 is my favorite and they do a really good job. The trumpet was not predominant but rather a part of the team. There were a lot of lines that you normally don't pay attention to in other versions (probably because the trumpet dominates). These are highlighted here. Play it loud though because the flute is very sweet sounding and soft and so it can easily be lost in the background.

Number five had a few spots which were uncomfortably fast though. I didn't know someone can play the harpsichord that fast. It's still expressive.

Number six felt like it was the fastest but it was really good.

Don't let the speed fool you, the performes were very expressive.

So far this is my favorite version.