BaL 23.12.17 - Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-6

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Sara Mohr-Pietsch on The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach, possibly the most famous set of concertos of the Baroque era. Bach presented these six instrumental works to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721. Each is scored for a different (often unusual) combination of instruments.

Available versions:-


Giuliano Carmignola, Ottavio Dantone, Michala Petri, Reinhold Friedrich, Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado
Giuliano Carmignola, Ottavio Dantone, Michala Petri, Reinhold Friedrich, Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado (DVD/Blu-ray)
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini
Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini
Berliner Barock Solisten
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (download)
English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Douglas Boyd
Busch Chamber Players, Adolf Busch (download)
Dunedin Consort, John Butt
Café Zimmermann
Cambridge Baroque Camerata (download)
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (download)
Joel Katzman, Academy of Ancient Music, Richard Egarr
Florilegium
Freiburger Barockorchester
Freiburger Barockorchester (DVD)
Die Freitagsakademie
Niklas Eklund, Swiss Baroque Soloists, Andrés Gabetta
Katie Debretzeni, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
Il Giardino Armonico
Wilbert Hazelzet, Jaap Ter Linden, Andreas Staier, Henk Bouman, Robert Hill, Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
Brandenburg Consort, Roy Goodman
Concentus musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (DVD)
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Nikolaus Harnoncourt (viola da gamba), Paul Angerer (harpsichord), Walter Schneiderhan (solo violin)
Jascha Horenstein
Camerata of the 18th Century, Konrad Hünteler
Musica Amphion, Pieter Jan-Belder
Capella Savaria, Zsolt Kallo
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Pro Musica Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Neumeyer Consort, Felix Koch
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Leonhardt Consort, Tafelmusik, Gustav Leonhardt
Hofkapelle München, Rüdiger Lotter (download)
Northern Sinfonia of England, George Malcolm
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Ensemble Caprice, Matthias Maute
Bath Festival Chamber Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin
Kammerorchester des Wiener Konzerthauses, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt, Eduard Melkus, Josef Mertin, (1950)
I Musici, Roberto Michelucci
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (download)
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Karl Munchinger (download)
Hamburger Kammerorchester, Harry Newstone
Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Igor Oistrakh
Maurice André, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pierre Pierlot, Gerard Jarry, Orchestre de Chambre, Jean-François Paillard
New London Consort, Philip Pickett (download)
European Brandenburg Ensemble, Trevor Pinnock
The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
La Stravaganza Hamburg, Siegbert Rampe (download)
Aurèle Nicolet, Gerhart Hetzel, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Karl Richter
Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra, Helmuth Rilling
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Hermann Scherchen
Håkan Hardenberger, Irene Grafenauer, Eckart Haupt, Maurice Bourgue, Thorsten Rosenbusch, Simon Preston, Kammerorchester CPE Bach, Peter Schreier
Reykjavic Chamber Orchestra, Jaap Schröder
Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Orion String Quartet, David Shifrin
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Ignat Solzhenitsyn (download)
Apollo's Fire, Jeannette Sorrell
Musica Florea, Marek Štryncl
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend
Orchestra of the Antipodes, Antony Walker
Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Pinchas Zukerman


Arrangements:

Jacques Loussier Trio
Piano Duo Trenkner (arr Reger)

[vinteuil]

Arrangements:

Jacques Loussier Trio
Piano Duo Trenkner (arr Reger)

... thanks for this; I'm glad you included the Reger piano duo version, which is enormously enjoyable.

Nor, of course, should we forget -

http://amzn.eu/5jzfpPR

.

[Joseph K]

Looking forward to this - I've been wondering which version to buy for a while now.

[BBMmk2]

I see Orchestra Mozart/Abbado not on the list?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Looking forward to this - I've been wondering which version to buy for a while now.

Should be a good guide, too - SM-P did a wonderful pair of Discovering Music programmes on the six works, showing real knowledge, insight, and an ability to communicate. (I don't envy her this task, though!)

[Barbirollians]

I see Orchestra Mozart/Abbado not on the list?

Also surely the English Concert/Pinnock version on DG Archiv cannot have been deleted ?

[richardfinegold]

so many excellent versions. I guess the only real surprise would be if a non HIPP wins

[antongould]

Should be a good guide, too - SM-P did a wonderful pair of Discovering Music programmes on the six works, showing real knowledge, insight, and an ability to communicate. (I don't envy her this task, though!)

Fair chance of a two hander though ..... ????

[Richard Barrett]

I see Orchestra Mozart/Abbado not on the list?

It's the first item in the list!

I'm happy to be able to listen to a wide range of different recordings of this music, there are so many beautiful ones, although the one I've recently found freshest and most enlightening has been the Kuijken.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Fair chance of a two hander though ..... ????

Really???!!! He'd better not attempt it - it'd be like Norman Wisdom "helping out" Mo Farah at an Olympiad.

[Pulcinella]

I'm actually surprised that there aren't more recordings.
The three sets I have seem no longer available (or at least I didn't spot them in Alpie's alphabetical by conductor list: great effort as usual!):
Virtuosi of England/Arthur Davison (A CFP Silver Double, with the violin concertos as fillers)
ECO/Philip Ledger (two separate IMP CDs, no fillers)
Polish Chamber Orchestra/Jerzy Maksymiuk (EMI forte set, with four Christmas Concertos as fillers)

Could be an interesting BaL.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I see Orchestra Mozart/Abbado not on the list?

Look more carefully.

[Petrushka]

Look more carefully.

The Orchestra Mozart/Abbado is shown as DVD/Blu-ray but is it not still available on CD?

I have the Abbado CD plus (as part of boxed sets) Boult, Karajan and Klemperer. The Philharmonia version of the Klemps doesn't appear in the list. It wouldn't be any surprise if Abbado is nominated as first choice.

[teamsaint]

It's the first item in the list!

I'm happy to be able to listen to a wide range of different recordings of this music, there are so many beautiful ones, although the one I've recently found freshest and most enlightening has been the Kuijken.

Available in the generally rather unloved Sony Baroque Masterpieces box, which despite it's shortcomings is worth the money, especially as it often pops up on Amazon at around £30.

[MickyD]

... thanks for this; I'm glad you included the Reger piano duo version, which is enormously enjoyable.

Nor, of course, should we forget -

http://amzn.eu/5jzfpPR

.

I was just going to suggest those, Vints...it was Walter (Wendy) Carlos whose Brandenburg 3 first switched me on to Bach back in my early teens, and began my lifelong love of baroque music. A curious and unlikely introduction, but I remain forever in that artist's debt.

There was also a pretty good Hanover Band version on EMI Eminence with our Tony at the helm some years ago which doesn't seem to be in the list. And I've also noticed that the fairly recent Concerto Koln version is missing, too.