BBC Music
BETA
Album. Released 12 October 2009. Discography information comes from (External) MusicBrainz . You can add or edit information about (External) Brandenburg Concertos (English Baroque Soloists, feat. conductor: John Eliot Gardiner) (disc 1) at musicbrainz.org .
Piano Concertos 3, 4 & 5 (Scottish Chamber Orchestra feat. conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras, piano: Arturo Pizarro)
Piano Concertos 3, 4 & 5 Ludwig van BeethovenConcertiGrossiOp. 3/ Sonataa5(AcademyofAncientMusic, director: RichardEgarr)
Concerti Grossi Op. 3 / Sonata a 5 Georg Friedrich HändelSymphonies Nos. 38 - 41 (Scottish Chamber Orchestra feat. conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras)
Symphonies Nos. 38 - 41 Wolfgang Amadeus MozartRadio 3's flagship breakfast programme.
Breakfast BBC Radio 3
News, views and an eclectic choice of live and recorded music
In Tune BBC Radio 3
Stands up on its own, quite simply as a smashing performance.
Charlotte Gardner 2009-11-04
When a new recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos lands on the doormat to review, it’s hard to know whether to be excited at the prospect of a new look at this famous and much-recorded work, or to scream for mercy. Can any new recording of them be fresh and rightly different enough in order to justify itself, especially given that the market is also flooded with premiere recordings ranging from early music to the newly written?
Perhaps yes on this occasion, for whilst every other Tom, Dick and Harry of the music world seems to have recorded the Brandenburgs, Gardiner has not, and without additional sells such as new scholarly insights on pitch or instrumentation, this disc stands up on its own quite simply as a smashing performance that has evidently been recorded for sheer delight in the music.
Despite Gardiner’s name appearing as prominently as usual alongside that of the English Baroque Soloists, the small instrumental forces required have actually rendered him redundant as a director on this occasion. Nevertheless, his musical stamp is all over the recording in his role as facilitator, encourager, and consultant as to how the concertos should be interpreted and balanced. Gardiner’s programme notes urge us to never forget that, “for all its ingenuity, elegance and craft, this is essentially dance music”. No doubt thanks to this approach, the concertos do carry additional sparkle to usual. You can always count on Gardiner to set a nippy pace, and there’s no change here: rhythm and forward momentum are the names of the game.
In terms of attack, the faster movements bounce happily along with notes held just long enough to sound lilting rather than choppy, whilst the expansive legato lines of the slower movements are enjoyed for all they’re worth. The ensemble playing is a model of cohesive teamwork, but the players also shine as individuals in the many virtuoso solo passages peppered throughout the set, bringing excitement to some ear-poppingly difficult writing without ever losing the line of musical thought. What more could anyone ask for?
(External)
Creative Commons Licence
You need to sign in to contribute to this page. If you haven't registered to leave comments, creating your membership is quick and easy.
Brandenburg Concertos (English Baroque Soloists, feat. conductor: John Eliot Gardiner) (disc 1)
In order to listen to track previews you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions.
Soli Deo Gloria
Oct 13 2009
United Kingdom
CD
SDG 707
BBC © MMIX
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.