Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood :: Bach - Brandenburg Concertos / Rousset, AAM, Hogwood

Best performance I know of the 2nd

D. Jack Elliot | Omaha, Nebraska | 11/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to object, and offer a second opinion of the performance of the 2nd concerto.(...) [A] reviewer points to Friedmann Immer's "weak" performance of the trumpet part to the 2nd as the only major flaw in execution on this set. Don't listen to him. I'm familiar with over a dozen recordings of the 2nd Brandenburg, and Friedmann Immer's delivery of the solo trumpet part here is a revelation, head and shoulders above any other I've heard. It's true that Immer plays with a soft, delicate tone. At no point is he any louder than the Baroque flute player, in fact. But that is not because his performance is "weak." That's what a Baroque trumpet sounds - and sounded - like; it's what Bach had in mind. This is not a Trumpet Concerto, it's a concerto for a group of four soloists. Very few trumpeters realize this in their performances of the piece, and of those who do acheive the right balance with the other soloists, Immer's reading stands apart. His lip trills are immaculte, his intonation impeccable, and he soars through the highest passages - including a series of arpeggios up to g''', a damnably difficult range to play tastefully on the trumpet - gracefully, if you can believe it. But this set with confidence: all of the works here receive elegant, polished performances. And look forward especially to the 2nd, which receives the most thoughtful, refined reading I know of."

These Brandenburgs not for beginners, but it's Hogwood.

Paul Medina | Whittier, CA USA | 01/19/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you are seeking those "standard" versions often recorded more than 20 years ago, heard on movie soundtraks, and--well, as you remember the notes when you were forced to listen during music appreciation in grammar school, then you may be a victim of the ugly duckling syndrome, and these recordings may not be for you. You might consider the less expensive VOX BOX series as your primer, but if you are ready for the next level, meet Mr. Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music. Mr. Hogwood is the pop-culture equivilant of Harrison Ford: rarely is "Han Solo" in a bad movie, and rarely does Mr. Hogwood produce poor music (although Trevor Pinnock is early music's Michael Jordon--I really will weep when he hangs-up his baton. Say it aint so, Trevor). The irony, the liner notes tell us, is that these recordings of the Brandenburg Concertos aren't really Brandenburgs after all. They may as well be called Cothen Concertos, the court for which the Brandenburgs, we are told, were originally written and performed. These hundreds of years, the Brandenburgs, a misnomer! This thunderbolt of historical news was, evidently, not enough to persuade the bean counters at PolyGram to label these CD's by thier now revealed "correct" name, one presumes, because CD's marked Bach's Cothen Concertos probably wouldn't sell. But wait, my friends! Good things may be afoot, for much of what we think of as true or faithful recordings of early music, have, in fact, been corrupted for reasons far too numerous to mention here. The attempt with Hogwood's recordings is to produce Bach's music closer to his original intentions (this is not an oxymoran, my freinds, for in the lifetime of a composer, he may alter his works with different intentions). This means using, after investigation, what are believed to be something closer to original manuscripts or quite intelligent reconstructions, adhereing to Bach's compliment of 16 musicians at Cothen, and using instruments constructed using the same materials and methods as in the days of early music. If you are very familiar with the "standard" Brandeburg recordings, then you will view these CD's as musical revisionism or musical correction. Perhaps, the most noticable "corrections" are the elimination--based upon sound evidence--of an entire movement from Con. #1 and the decision to relieve us of a long harpsichord solo from Con. #5 that I have always found to be--in those "standard" recordings--within the context of an otherwise sublime concerto, just plain loony: an Amtak train screeching to a halt for a red light. In the case of Hogwood's Cothen-Brandenburgs, less is more, or, perhaps, more acurately, better. For those unfamiliar with ensmebles dedicated to recreating the sound of the music as when the first audiences heard them, the sound, at first, may seem unusual, but it is intimate, as the court performances were, and preferred to the loud recordings of a few decades ago. Those recordings make Bach sound as if he were a Revolutionary composer, at times seeming to register the same decibels as the modern composers and their gang of 101 muscians. Some of you may find period instruments to sound sublime; others may find the sound just plain weird. The overtones are significantly different, and, therefore, you will view this as a travesty or as new life being given to these familiar works. Also, and I know there are detractors, I am a convert to the DDD (all digital) process employed in these discs as opposed to the analogue method. I am aware of the compromises, but to my ears, DDD comes closer to a live perfomance. I enjoy early music ensembles' attempt at authenticity, although I know there are detractors here, as well. The Hogwood CD's are to augment an existing Bach collection, but BEWARE: these CD's contain (gasp!)previously released material, that constant irritant of the classical music industry. So, know your collection well, or you may end up paying for recordings that are in your cool CD tower right now. You may even find yourself alternating between the "standard" versions already on your shelf on one day and these "corrected" versions on another, for there is much to love about both. It is, after all, Bach."

One of The Oldest of the New Versions

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 04/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It was with pleasure that I noted that the Hogwood versions of the Brandenburg's are still available. It is easy to forget that these were a strike out onto the holy ground of original instruments and scoring and were somewhat revolutionary at their recording.Bach selected work originally done for Prince Leopold's orchestra at Cothen and revised these six concerti to suit the Margrave's limited resources at Brandenburg. Because Bach's objectives were often to achieve textural as well as thematic variations, several of the concerti exist in multiple revisions. All of this makes the conductor's choices difficult if scholarship is important. Hogwood has made sensible rather than radical decisions, and we are very likely enjoying the music as the Margrave did originally.The performances are intense. Tempos are a bit faster than traditional tempo's of the time and the musicianship is right on for the most part. We often forget that original instruments where a bit more difficult to steer than their modern heirs. Horns had some odd notes in their range, and oboes were often used in trumpetlike passages. The orchestra and soloists do an excellent job of managing these difficulties.Sound is dry, but complex. Original instruments provide resonant sonorities that can be delightful, but are rarely earthmoving. The inner movement of the parts is quite audible which makes these versions especially interesting. The recording itself is typical of the early 1980's, which means that it could be a bit better. Sonics are clear, but I wish that there was a bit more directionality and spatial sense.The price makes this one of the best Brandenburg buys available. An excellent purchase for the student."