Bach Harpsichord Concertos

Johann Sebastian Bach - Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1057 & 1058
Retrospect Ensemble / Matthew Halls, harpsichord & direction
24B/192kHz Stereo FLAC: 2,40 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Linn Records # CKD 410 | Country/Year: UK 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

"…The playing of the Retrospect Ensemble is spot-on from beginning to end. Tempos are brisk but not pressed to the point that compromises articulation or unanimity of bowing and fingering, and the readings are buoyant, energetic, and fresh-sounding. Complemented by Linn's wonderfully clear and transparent multichannel recording, Bach's music shines." ~Fanfare

Pinnock’s performances of the Bach Harpsichord Concertos first appeared in 1981 and have dominated the catalog ever since. In the solo concertos he plays with real panache, his scholarship tempered with excellent musicianship." "The double, triple and quadruple concertos are digital, and the combination of period instruments and playing of determined vigour certainly makes a bold effect.

After the double album of the violin and harpsichord sonatas with Kristian Bezuidenhout, a bestseller in 2018, here is the next instalment in the Bach recording adventure that began nine years ago with a set of the sonatas and partitas now regarded as a benchmark. Isabelle Faust and Bernhard Forck and his partners at the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin have explored patiently a multitude of other works by Bach: harpsichord concertos, trio sonatas for organ, instrumental movements from sacred cantatas… All are revealed here as direct or indirect relatives of the three monumental concertos BWV 1041-43.

This disc has a lot going for it. Thomas Zehetmair is a world-renowned violinist; the Amsterdam Bach Soloists comprise a little over a dozen players from the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra; and while they perform on modern instruments, they adhere largely to historically informed performance practice. Thus, we get the best of all worlds: world-class playing; smooth, mellifluous sound; and convincing interpretations.