Café Zimmermann - J.S. Bach: Concerts avec plusieurs instruments, Vol. 4 (2009)

This disc offers balanced repertoire, virtuosic performances, life-like sound, and beautiful cover reproduction. As in the previous three recordings of Bach's concertos by Café Zimmermann, the program here balances soloists and tonalities for maximum effectiveness. The disc starts with the moving Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041; follows it with the cheerful Concerto for two harpsichords in C major, BWV 1061; follows that with melancholy in the Concerto for flute, violin and harpsichord in A minor, BWV 1044; and concludes with the joyous Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 for trumpet, recorder, oboe and violin in F major (BWV 1047). And as with the group's previous discs in this series, the performances are everything one could hope for. A 12-piece chamber orchestra playing on period instruments, Café Zimmermann has the strength, agility, and intuitive cohesion of a great jazz band, and its performances here rival the finest ever made for insight, affection, and excitement. Listeners familiar with the label's sound and cover reproductions will be unsurprised at their high quality; anyone unfamiliar with them will likely be astounded by the sound's clarity and immediacy and astonished by the cover's rich colors and vivid details. In short, anyone who enjoys great Bach, great playing, great sound, and great covers will surely enjoy this disc as well as with the previous three in this series.