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Musical Discussions
Topic: Bach, Brandenburg Concertos

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Posted by KLegind on 10-02-2008
I am looking for a good recording of the "Brandenburgischen Konzerte" on vinyl. I have the DG Archiv version conducted by Karl Richter from 1968. The performance is by no means poor but the recording is not one of Archiv's better moments. It is kind of dull sounding and I am looking for a recording that better conveys the tempo and dynamics of the performance.

Sincerely
Kris

Posted by Romy the Cat on 10-02-2008

Well, the DG Archiv had very few, or ever, “better moments” in term of recording quality.  With Brandenburg Concertos on LP I have the same problem as you do. I have some recordings that I more or less like on LP but I never was comfortable with sound. In fact I tend do not list the Brandenburgs on record and prefer CDs as the sound not as I would like it to be. My favorite contemporary recordings are by Boston Baroque from beginning of 90s and by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment from end of the 80s (both on the period instruments)

Even they do not do what I feel would be ultimate take on the Brandenburg Concertos. All records that I have are studio recording but they need to be LIVE. I never heard LIVE performance of the Concertos with me in attendance (I head just a separate movement once). It was not good play that time but I have a very clear vision how they shell be played and how they shell be sound LIVE.  I head also a live-to tape broadcast from Tanglewood on FM with  Bernstein or somebody else from 70s doing Brandenburgs – it was very bad sonically – the  Tanglewood is not the best place for this music perhaps…

If someone know any interning life recording of Brandenburg Concertos, perhaps from some kind of festival, then it might be interesting if it is not even on LP…

The Cat

Posted by Antonio J. on 10-02-2008
but for the sound it could well be: http://www.rozhlas.cz/d-dur/download_eng It's a performance by the Czec Radio on period instruments. It can be downloaded in Flac format and then converted to wav to burn a CD or whatever. I've just listened to it on my computer system and I find the performance quite nice. Not a Bach expert myself, so take my opinion with a couple of grains of salt. If you finally listen to it, I'd like to read your impressions.

Rgrds

Posted by JJ Triode on 10-03-2008
My favorite performance is in Tele's "Das Alte Werk" series, Nicholas Harnoncourt and Concentus Musikus Wien, on period instruments. Again though, not a live recording (you can even hear the "mix" shifting between some movements) but still very enjoyable interpretation and sound.

Posted by Max Shatsky on 10-04-2008
I like the mentioned performances by K.Richter and N.Harnouncourt, however my current favorite is by Masaaki Suzuki.

In contrast to Romy, I find the playing by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment as the most boring, sorry, I don't get it.

Posted by Romy the Cat on 10-04-2008

 Max Shatsky wrote:
I find the playing by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment as the most boring, sorry, I don't get it.

In my view the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s play it not boring but rather not flashy and not overly exiting. The first feeling might be that it does hold back but they have something that very few have nowadays – the superb Culture of Sound. The way in winch that orchestra plays exemplifies for me one of the highest presentations of how Sound might be presented, the sound where everything is so pampered and balanced that it become as self-contained ethical pleasure to observer the organization of the message.

BTW, Kris, if you look for “high quality” recording on CD then you might look for Tacet recording. Tacet is a German-base high-end recording company and the Brandenburg Concertos was the very first recording that they made name (the do some very interesting recordings). It was the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra on TACET 101. I actively do not like play there (no Culture of Sound) but the sound is OK. Tacet is known to release some of their recordings on LP and sometime record analog, if you like the performance you might get from Tacet an LP album of their Brandenburg Concertos.

The Cat

Posted by el`Ol on 10-10-2008
 Max Shatsky wrote:
... however my current favorite is by Masaaki Suzuki.


I find it wonderful how the Bach-Kollegium Japan is playing: With love and fire, but without sacrificing the necessary precision.

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