BaL 6.12.14 - Bach: 4 Orchestral Suites (BWV 1066-69)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m.
Building a Library
Mark Lowther compares performances, spanning 80 years of recording history, of Bach's four Orchestral Suites (BWV 1066-1069). They were called 'ouvertures' by Bach himself after their French-style overtures with a distinctive dotted-rhythm opening so popular in Germany at the time.


Available Versions:-

Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Concerto Köln
Consort of London, Robert Caydon Clar
Il Fondamento, Paul Dombrecht
Café Zimmermann
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Dvorak
Academy of Ancient Music, Ruchard Egarr
I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis
Freiburger Baroque Orchestra
Music Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra, Reinhard Goebel
The Brandenburg Consort, Roy Goodman
Concentus musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Ensemble Sonnerie, Monica Huggett
Mainz Chamber Orchestra, Gunter Kehr
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Koch (download)
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman (DVD)
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken
ASMF, Sir Neville Marriner (3 versions)
Bath Festival Orchestra, Sir Yehudi Menuhin
Orchestra of the Moscow Bach Centre, Sergey Miassojedov
Köln Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Munchinger
Boston Early Music Consort, Andrew Parrott
Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnoc
Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter
Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra, Helmuth Rilling
Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra Budapest, János Rolla (download)
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall
Moscow Virtuosi, Vladimir Spivakov
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki
Camerata Academica Salzburg, Sándor Végh


Arrangement:
Brazilian Guitar Quartet

[verismissimo]

Another fab list, thanks Alpie. I learned these pieces with the greatest pleasure from Casals and the Marlboro Festival Orchestra in the 1960s. Think I'd think the performances too slow and heavy these days, but they certainly lit the fuse.

NLA in any useful general sense, but certainly obtainable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orchestral-S...hestral+suites

[cloughie]

Thanks for list Alps

Three sets to cover the spectrum - Klemperer, Marriner(Argo)-My favourite and Pinnock.

[vinteuil]

... my current favourite version :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000051VHO

[cloughie]

... my current favourite version :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000051VHO

Looks interestingly different - bet it doesn't get a mention.

[Bryn]

Another fab list, thanks Alpie. I learned these pieces with the greatest pleasure from Casals and the Marlboro Festival Orchestra in the 1960s. Think I'd think the performances too slow and heavy these days, but they certainly lit the fuse.

NLA in any useful general sense, but certainly obtainable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orchestral-S...hestral+suites

Or a fiver (including p&p) for a used copy in "very good" condition on ebay.

[Don Petter]

Or a fiver (including p&p) for a used copy in "very good" condition on ebay.

Or £9.99 as an mp3 download:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001UGNBV8/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk

[Tony Halstead]

9.30 a.m.
Building a Library
Mark Lowther compares performances, spanning 80 years of recording history, of Bach's four Orchestral Suites (BWV 1066-1069). They were called 'ouvertures' by Bach himself after their French-style overtures with a distinctive dotted-rhythm opening so popular in Germany at the time.


Available Versions:-

Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Concerto Köln
Consort of London, Robert Caydon Clar
Il Fondamento, Paul Dombrecht
Café Zimmermann
Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Dvorak
Academy of Ancient Music, Ruchard Egarr
I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis
Freiburger Baroque Orchestra
Music Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra, Reinhard Goebel
The Brandenburg Consort, Roy Goodman
Concentus musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Ensemble Sonnerie, Monica Huggett
Mainz Chamber Orchestra, Gunter Kehr
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Koch (download)
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman (DVD)
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken
ASMF, Sir Neville Marriner (3 versions)
Bath Festival Orchestra, Sir Yehudi Menuhin
Orchestra of the Moscow Bach Centre, Sergey Miassojedov
Köln Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Munchinger
Boston Early Music Consort, Andrew Parrott
Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnoc
Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter
Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra, Helmuth Rilling
Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra Budapest, János Rolla (download)
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall
Moscow Virtuosi, Vladimir Spivakov
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki
Camerata Academica Salzburg, Sándor Végh


Arrangement:
Brazilian Guitar Quartet

The only ones worthy of consideration (IMHO) are:
Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin
Concerto Köln
Il Fondamento, Paul Dombrecht
Café Zimmermann
Academy of Ancient Music, Richard Egarr
I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis
Freiburger Baroque Orchestra
Music Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
The Brandenburg Consort, Roy Goodman
Concentus musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Ensemble Sonnerie, Monica Huggett
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman (DVD)
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken
Boston Early Music Consort, Andrew Parrott
Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have Rilling (excellent), Marriner (very good also), Munchinger (variable, sometimes too plodding) and Richter (once my favourite, but now replaced by Rilling. But I'll be interested to hear more of the versions Tony recommends, though as ever, I hope for a BaL that looks at a variety of performing styles.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

this box set was a heavily played part of the minor collection at the office for a number of years:

[Nick Armstrong]

Café Zimmermann

My favourite...

[hedgehog]

My favourite...

Together with La Petite Bande for me.

[MickyD]

I really find it difficult to come up with an absolute personal favourite - there are so many wonderful groups around nowadays that we are spoiled for choice. I have Hogwood, Goebel and Kuikjen. Do I need another?!

[Bryn]

Lost count of the recordings I have available, but those from Café Zimmermann and MAK spring to mind as particular favourites, plus Ensemble Sonnerie/Monica Huggett as an interesting supplement for its alternative versions.

[gurnemanz]

Surely most people will already have at least one recording. I have two from Tony's shortlist above - Harnoncourt, Café Zimmermann - with CZ as favourite. An early CD purchase was the very good Hans-Martin Linde on a EMI cheap issue. Not mentioned on the list, it seems to be still available.