Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra :: Bach: Overtures / Ouvertures: The 4 Orchestral Suites [Hybrid SACD]

East meets West - and the Best!

John Arlom | Canberra, ACT, Australia | 06/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The tyranny of distance holds no sway with these performances. Bach came home with many influences from the French and Italian baroque, well illustrated here - but perhaps Suzuki has come home with the man himself!

Amid the influences of the art of Western Protestantism in his own country, Suzuki traveled and studied in Europe, we are told, then returned to his native land to resume both a practical and academic career. His creations, together with his small but highly skilled band, have provided endless hours of pleasure.

As one gazes upon the beauty of both the music and performance one is aware of a sense of something very new and fresh. I have listened on the radio from time to time to a few of the group's recordings, but only in passing and never to the whole experience as presented here on these discs.

It dawns on one as time passes that these performances are something very special, a true and sensitive blend of the visual and auditory experience. One is reminded of the superlatives that can express the beauty of Eastern art forms, such that have always captured the hearts of the European middle classes from the early days of European contact. And that tradition continues here.

There is an excellent set of notes provided on the music, the orchestra and their leader.

My only regret is that the second disc is so short. Plenty of space here for a filler, and what a gem it could have been!

"

Grand, Regal Performances of the Bach Ouvertures by Bach Col

Kerry Kaneko | Temple City, CA USA | 06/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Johann Sebastian Bach's four Ouvertures (Orchestral Suites) and six Brandenburg Concertos stand at the pinnacle of Baroque orchestral music. And the Bach Collegium Japan recordings of these masterworks for the BIS label head the field. Under music director and founder Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan captures the grand, regal quality in the Bach Ouvertures as few others have. Of course, there is the famous "Air" ("Air on the G String"), the second movement of the Ouverture III (Suite in D Major, BWV 1068), beautifully performed here. Liliko Maeda plays the transverse flute marvelously on the Ouverture II (Suite in B Minor, BWV 1067), including a virtuosic performance in the seventh and last movement, the popular "Badinerie." And the overall sound quality is superb."

First Time listenning, but enjoying

HSIEH CHENG CHUNG | Taipei, Taiwan | 07/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first time to listen Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japen's perform, I must say it's a fresh experience to let me know the clear and fluent melody, however, it's very great. Both of Suzuki and Bach."