I Musici - J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos (1985)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): The Six Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046 - 1051. Performed by: Thomas Muller and Javier Bonet Manrique, baroque hunting horn; Alfredo Bernadini, Paolo Grazzi and Paolo Faldi, baroque oboe; Josep Borràs, bassoon; Fabio Biondi, violino piccolo, violin and viola; Friedemann Immer, natural trumpet; Pedro Memelsdorff and Guilio Capocaccia, recorder; Marc Hantai, transverse flute; Pierre Hantai, harpsichord; Angelo Bartoletti, viola; Eunice Brandao, Lorenz Duftschmid and Jordi Savall, viola da gamba; Le Concert des Nations; La Capella Reial de Catalunya; dir. Jordi Savall. Recorded in March 1991 at the Palazzo Giusti del Giardino, Padua, Italy under the auspices of the late Michel Bernard and Charlotte Gilart de Keranflec'h. Astrée ES 9948, reissued by Naive in 2000 as a digipack. Total time: approx. 97 minutes.

Although I am a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the early 1980s recording of these concertos by The English Concert directed by Trevor Pinnock, still available from Deutsche Gramophon Archiv Johann Sebastian Bach: 6 Brandenburg Concertos / 4 Orchestral Suites - The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock , I must admit that Jordi Savall's brilliant ensemble of Southern European virtuosos comes very close to toppling Pinnock's milestone recording from its position as my all-time favourite. This has partly to do with Michel Bernard's incredibly good engineering technique which makes this recording about as transparent as a set of Brandenburgs can get. But the engineer can only capture what the musicians are producing, and that is here downright brilliant musicianship. Savall does not try to "sell" his interpretation with gimmicks (pace Harnoncourt J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-6 (and Suites 2 & 3) who positions his recorders in Concerto No. 4 in the next room) nor with an attempt at the world speed record (as some have been tempted to see in Reinhard Goebel's recording Bach: Brandenburg Concertos/Brandenburgische Konzerte/Los Concertos Brandebourgeois , but also in certain parts of Siegbert Rampe's J S Bach: Brandenburg Concertos ) - and Savall does not develop any astounding new theories about the origins of the concertos (as did Philip Pickett a few years later Bach: Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046-1051 /New London Consort * Pickett ). No, Savall's strengths are brilliant musicianship coupled with an assured sense of timing that guarantees that these concertos always hold the attention but never feel "forced". What differentiates the interpretation from others I have heard is the way in which all the soloists are brought to prominence: The poet-violinist Fabio Biondi has more than the usual share of the limelight not only in Concerto No. 1 but also in No. 5; in No. 2 Friedemann Immer's trumpet is not as sharply in the forefront as is usual; instead, it is Pedro Memelsdorff's recorder and Paolo Grazzi's oboe which, together with Biondi, carry the piece through and blend exceptionally well with the trumpet. In Concerto No. 5, Pierre Hantai (who made a brief appearance in the connecting cadenza of No. 3) plays as brilliantly as any other harpsichordist I have heard (although I still love Christine Schornsheim's old East German recording of Concerto No. 5 together with the Academy for Ancient Music, Berlin ), but Savall makes it plain from the start that this is not merely a harpsichord concerto but also one for transverse flute and violin. The two string concertos, No. 3 and No. 6, are also done exceptionally well, with some gorgeous gamba playing from Savall himself, Eunice Brandao and Lorenz Duftschmid. If there is any criticism at all to be made, it could be that at times the whole production is so perfect that it almost no longer sounds human, but that is only an occasional momentary feeling, eclipsed by plenty of really tight ensemble playing by this all-star gathering. This is a CD-set to savour!