Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046: Allegro
2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046: Adagio
3. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046: Allegro
4. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046: Menuetto / Trio I / Polacca / Trio II
5. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047: Allegro
6. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047: Andante
7. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047: Allegro assai
8. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048: Allegro
9. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048: Andante
10. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048: Allegro assai

Disc 2:

1. Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049: Allegro
2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049: Andante
3. Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049: Presto
4. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: Allegro
5. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: Andante
6. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: Presto
7. Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051: Moderato
8. Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051: Adagio ma non tanto
9. Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051: Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2739 in Music
• Brand: Bach
• Released on: 1996-07-23
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .48 pounds

Amazon.com
Boston Baroque and Martin Pearlman recorded a splendid set of the Brandenburg Concertos on period instruments in 1993 and 1994. Made entirely in the US, these snappy, crisply articulated, and fluent performances rely heavily on the talents of violinist Daniel Stepner (who doubles as one of the two solo violists in Concerto No. 6). Among the highlights are the joyous finale to Concerto No. 4 and the superb cembalo cadenza in No. 5, played by Pearlman. Along with outstanding sound, there's a winning sense of freshness and discovery in these performances. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

Magnificent "Brandenburgs."
This set of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" is magnificent! The Boston Baroque, under the direction of Martin Pearlman, play on period instruments with freshness and vigor, giving the music that wonderful, slightly "abrasive" quality that I believe baroque music should have. Overall, tempi are faster than more traditional renditions, but never seem rushed. (Faster tempi are probably more in line with Bach's original intentions). The orchestra and conductor make a wonderful team, their enjoyment of the music evident throughout. Sound quality is first-rate. I highly recommend this 2-CD set, especially for those who, like me, enjoy classical music played on period instruments.

Accept no Substitutes--This is the one
This cd set is marvelous. Too often, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos suffer from tired, overblown, lifeless interpretations. Not in this case, as the Boston Baroque's spirited performance breathes life and personality into these recordings. Martin Pearlman and the Boston Baroque ensemble should be commended for their interpretation. From the first concerto to the sixth, every note is played with a joy that is contagious and is sure to lift the spirit.

Brilliant with caveats
I bought this recording after seeing rave reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere. Mostly those reviews are justified. The sound is outstanding, whether because of the period instruments or the quality of recording. The many voices are brought out, especially in the first concerto, as they rarely are on other recordings. The musicianship is outstanding.

Now the things I didn't like (but others may like them):

1. The tempi are way too fast for my taste. One of my favourite movements, the last "allegro" of the third concerto, is played prestissimo, which entirely spoils it for me. And it is not the only one. Most movements are faster than normal, none are slower.

2. In the solo bits -- particularly the cadenza in the fifth concerto -- there is too much rubato. Too often rubato is used as an excuse for disentangling the fingers rather than to add to the music. If it is such a good idea, why is it never used (unless explicitly scored) in the orchestral sections?

3. Bach wrote only two cadence chords for the middle movement of the third concerto. A cadence concludes a movement, but what do they conclude here? Obviously an impromptu movement that a soloist is supposed to conclude. Some performers oblige (eg, Neville Marriner/Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; the long out-of-print Harry Newstone/Hamburger Kammerorchester). Some cop-out by introducing an extraneous slow movement, from another Bach piece, that ends in the same chords (eg, Menuhin/Bath Festival Orchestra). But the worst sort of cop-out is to just play those two chords and nothing else. Which is what these performers do. Pearlman states sonorously, in the liner notes, that "there is no reason to suppose that anything else is meant to be supplied here..." Oh yes, there is. To play just those chords and nothing else is "musical nonsense" (as I recall the liner notes to the Newstone LP saying.) Moreover, though improvisation fell out of favour in 20th-century classical music, it was an important part of music from before Bach (the Handel/Scarlatti duel is famous) up until Liszt and beyond.

If things like the above bother you, don't buy these CDs -- at least, not without hearing them first.