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Review: A liberally spectacular take on Bach's Brandenburg Concertos
JS Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos are, quite probably, some of the most oft-recorded and most enjoyed collections of music in the Western repertoire. We know from history that the concertos were presented to Christian Ludwig, the margrave of Brandenburg, in 1721, which is from where they derive their name. They are regarded as the pinnacle of instrumental composition in the baroque period (1600 - 1750), and are some of the most well-considered works of art in all of Western civilization.
There are literally hundreds of recordings of these works available to the classical music consumer, all of which vary widely in aural aesthetics, artistic quality, historical accuracy, and general enjoyability. As a strong proponent of historical authenticity and traditionalism -- and myself a baroque violinist who performs on an 18th century instrument -- I always find myself deferring to the so-called "period" recordings, which feature old instruments with gut strings and baroque bows, and are directed by performers or musicologists who specialize primarily in baroque performance practice.
But even among this seemingly conservative -- perhaps, some say, even artistically limited -- circle of options, these "old" recordings contain vast opportunities that are actually, and quite ironically, liberal and innovative in their thinking.When people think of the baroque, they often think of powdered wigs and French parlors, which is quite true, but they also ignore the possibility for -- finally -- vast and exciting interpretation of music that has been performed improperly, or at least inaccurately, for so many years.
There are several excellent period recordings available on iTunes, some of which I will catalog with links at the bottom of this post. But across the board, none compare to the level of liberal adventurousness displayed in this latest period-instrument appraisal of works that have been so often performed and recorded -- and so boringly, so conservatively, at that -- they have simply become tired.
So the challenge -- particularly for historically authentic ensembles like the English Baroque Soloists under Sir John Eliot Gardiner -- is to bring new life and vivacity to works which, for better or worse, have a limited shelf life at this stage in our musical-cultural psyche.
And indeed, the EBS has certainly succeeded. (Interestingly, there seems to be a growing consensus within the historically authentic crowd thatperiod performance "is actually quite cutting edge" -- and as it turns out, the EBS has the musically liberal chops to prove it.)
The very opening of the CD -- the Allegro of Concerto No. 1 in F (BWV 1046) -- is simply astounding. I own (now) seven separate period recordings of all six of these concertos, and not one has moved me to the level of pure joy I experienced listening to this interpretation for the first time. While the playing is absolutely superb outright, the two horns in Concerto No. 1 truly steal the show. Their swing-style approach -- downright raucous, and, in the context of the 18th century salon, considered extremely poor taste -- has never before been catalogued on a professional recording. This reading is totally unique and completely unheard of, but utterly sensational. (For a slightly more in-depth and oh-so-very-British explanation -- not to mention, for an opportunity to watch a video excerpt of these exquisite players in action -- I encourage you to watch the video below.)All classical music -- but particularly all baroque music -- is a combination of elements that exist both on and off the written staff. The Brandenburg Concertos are some of the Western world's most complex and highly celebrated works (the notes on the page) -- but they are augmented and refined by the performers' choices in balance, tempo, ornamentation, and phrasing (what you hear off the page). So while I own seven recordings of the same two and a half hours of music, they are all different in their own way.
And this recording's bright, vivacious, liberal interpretation has earned it a top spot in my book. To quote John Eliot Gardiner from the album's liner notes, "When it comes to hitting a propulsive rhythmic groove, no one is a match for JS Bach."
And this recording's bright, vivacious, liberal interpretation has earned it a top spot in my book. To quote John Eliot Gardiner from the album's liner notes, "When it comes to hitting a propulsive rhythmic groove, no one is a match for JS Bach."
Nor, I would add, for the English Baroque Soloists.
[NCF]
Further Listening: The Brandenburg Concertos
- The Academy of Ancient Music & Richard Egarr
- La Stravaganza & Siegbert Rampe
- Musica Antiqua Koln & Reinhard Goebel (Disc 1) (Disc 2)
- The Swiss Baroque Soloists & Andres Gabetta
