Customer Reviews

Brandenburg Cti/4 Orch Suites

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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Like many baroque listeners, I'm a big fan of Trevor Pinnock. But even among a catalogue of such quality as Pinnock's, the Brandenburgs are special. As always with Pinnock, the orchestra is charged with concentration and joy, the sound quality is spectacular, and the harpsichord -- which can sound like rattling tin in a bad recording -- sparkles here in all the right places. This is one of my very favorite recording ever.

This is the best set of Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral suites that I have found! Pinnock has a great way of making the music sound how it would have in the Baroque era. Some of the reviews talk about analog and digital. I know exactly what they mean, and you can hardly tell the difference. I don't know if they're playing it off of a $30,000 system or what, but don't be deterred. These recordings are excellent and a must have for your music library!

For the novice making a Bach purchase, you've come to the place. The Brandenbergs are Bach's most famous and readily enjoyable orchestral works. The main concern of purchasing this productions is if you actually WANT an authentic recording. The strings are Baroque instruments, not modern ones. They sound "thin" compared to modern instruments(preferable, in my opinion). The horns, especially noticeable in the #1 and #2, are Baroque horns without modern valves; the accuracy of the notes is not quite Pinnock quality (i.e.: Perfect). On the other hand, this recording is the authentic standard; I actually prefer the instruments to the modern ones. // The Suites are ADD, but the analog part was recorded in 1980 and is of extremely high reproduction quality. You WILL NOT notice a difference. The Harpsichord Concertos (BWV 1052-1065) recorded by the same group under the same label are ADD, equally high quality, and make a wise follow-up purchase.

An extremely brief sharing of information, my friends. This CD contains the 1982 DDD recordings of the Brandenburgs. Pinnock and his English Concert demonstrate why Mr. Pinnock is an early music GOD! A bit silly of me, I know. The infamous Harpsichord solo in Con. #5 is handled perfectly by Mr. Pinnock himself. It is the only recording in which the solo doesn't sound as if Bach had returned from a time warp suffering the after effects of some pills John Lennon persuaded Johann to try. However, BE WARNED: the four suites on this CD are ADD--That's right, ANALOG! I do wish our friends here at Amazon.com would somehow indicate so. If the analog recording is a problem for you, Mr. Pinnock has recored the suites in DDD along with examples of Bach's recasting them as cantatas, or perhaps more acurately, sinfonias, on another CD released, perhaps, in 1995. I highly reccommend that CD for the suites although I have not listened to the ADD recordings on this CD you are researching. Oh, and by the way, that 1995 CD is stupendous. Why? Because it's Trevor Pinnock, that's why

A well researched and well played version of some Bach warhorses. Pinnock is the leading expert of this period music. Also, this is a very economical way to get this particular music.