Bouree

Jordi Savall - Johann Sebastian Bach - Les Quatre Ouvertures (2012) {2CD Set Alia Vox AVSA 9890 rec 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 614 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 246 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 285 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1990, 2012 Alia Vox | AVSA 9890
Classical / Baroque / Orchestral

There’s very little to say about this recording save throwing yet more encomiums Jordi Savall’s way: as with his other Bach recordings, this is a success. The warmly dark, coppery sound for which these forces are renowned is here in its full glory; Savall’s pacing is neither frenzied nor laborious; the audio clarity is stunning. Because Savall is such a renowned gamba player who has recruited great fellow string players to his projects (note one Fabio Biondi on violin), you might overlook stellar playing elsewhere in the ensemble. But there’s no way to ignore the wind section in the opening movement in the first suite: the exquisite phrasing and pitch-perfect tones demand to be heard (and heard repeatedly, at that), and the masterful playing becomes even more delightfully apparent in the extended oboe and bassoon solo in the same suite’s Bourée.

A veteran Bach specialist continues his Bach odyssey on Brilliant Classics with a new recording of the English Suites.

A veteran Bach specialist continues his Bach odyssey on Brilliant Classics with a new recording of the English Suites.

Jordi Savall is an exceptional figure in today’s music world. For more than thirty years he has been devoted to the rediscovery of neglected musical treasures: thirty years of research, study and interpretation, both as violist and musical director. He has restored an essential repertoire to all those with ears to hear it. Beyond the happy few who already revered the instrument, he has created a wide audience for the viola da gamba, an instrument so refined that it takes us to the very brink of silence.