Claudio Abbado’s Mozart recordings with Orchestra Mozart (Archiv, A/08) were among the most pleasant surprises of last year, an inspiring chance to hear a great conductor enjoying himself in repertoire with which he has not previously been much associated. Now here he is, no less wonderfully, gambolling among the Brandenburg Concertos in this straightforward TV-style concert film, recorded in the classic 19thcentury opera house at Reggio Emilia during an Italian tour in spring 2007.

The orchestra is at first glance a curious gathering, mixing “Baroque” players such as violinist Giuliano Carmignola and harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone with “modern” names such as trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich and “un-Baroque” recorder-player Michala Petri. Furthermore, a look round the instruments reveals mostly modern models, some hybrids (for instance Jacques Zoon’s wooden, multi-keyed flute) and a sprinkling of Baroque bows. Mind you, most younger players these days are well versed in Baroque style whatever they play on, and the tenor of these performances is firmly consistent with current ideas of what Baroque music ought to sound like.

So what, then, does Abbado bring to pieces that these days are rarely considered to require a conductor? Well, in the performance itself, not a lot; his batonless beating is minimal, at times barely perceptible, and in Concerto No 6 he is not even on stage. But these are Bach interpretations very much in his image, as detailed and humane as in any Mahler symphony, and infused with a musical sensitivity that is ever-present yet refuses to draw attention to itself. In music that is surely more for players than conductors, he allows fine soloists such as Carmignola, Zoon and the two yearningly exquisite viola soloists in No 6 to shine, yet has clearly worked hard to ensure that every note is in precisely the right place, every tempo convinces, and the texture is always deliciously transparent. What next from him, I wonder?