Johann Sebastian Bach4 Ouvertüren BWV 1066-1069, Ouvertüre BWV 1070
Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
Archiv 415 671-2
Goebel and Musica Antiqua Koln play these works beautifully and with great taste. Understand it is difficult for me to believe this after having heard this same ensembles' Brandenburgs, which are a bit of a joke (the 6th concerto, all 3 movements, sound like a 33 played at 45rpm, it's that fast - and rest of the concertos are ridiculously fast as well.) Here in the overtures, tempi are quick, but not overly so; the orchestral forces blend very well and produce a beautiful sound, particularly during Suite No. 1. The reedwork from the oboes is beautiful, as is the tone of Goebel's lead violin - excellent attack and tasteful ornamentations. The group's performance of Suite No. 2 is my favorite version, again with the overture played quickly but not overly fast like Pinnock/English Concert. The Badinerie here features some very fine recorder work. The horns in Suites 3 and 4 are as precise as one can possibly expect from period instruments, and they never sound blatty or sloppy. The famous Air movement sounds beautiful here, highlighted again by Goebel's exceptional lead violin. Throughout, fugues in the overtures are taken at brisk tempos and feature razor-sharp accuracy and accomplished solo work. Dance movements are slightly faster than average, but again not overly so and each movement still flows musically.
These are excellent period performances, showing the evolution of the very notion of the period performance in the late 1980s as tempi get even quicker. Still, Musica Antiqua are always in tune and in time, unlike some of their historically informed brethren. I find this ensemble to be rather hit or miss, but they really scored here - everything works beautifully and I encourage any fan of period performances to pick this set up. Between this and the other sets I've heard (Pinnock/English Concert, Marriner/ASMTF, Fasolis/I Barocchisti, Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien, Hogwood/AAM), this set has the best instrumental playing and the most natural-sounding performances, even if it lacks the big-name punch of some of the competitors. Highly, highly recommended.
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