Harmonia Mundi have shown restraint and a lofty disregard for prevailing market forces in previously declining to admit either a recording of Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos or his four Orchestral Suites to their catalogue. Until now, that is, with this set of the Suites played by the Academy for Ancient Music, Berlin, under the direction of Rene Jacobs. The Brandenburgs will surely follow, and I hope so, for among the several attractive features of this playing are an unfailingly effective approach to phrasing and articulation and an almost equally constant refinement of instrumental timbre from wind and string departments alike. Jacobs has a subtle feeling for the graceful gestures of baroque dance which comes across effectively here in performances which are beautifully punctuated, airy in spirit and eminently danceable, though this probably was not uppermost in Bach’s mind when he wrote them.
Perhaps what I like best of all about this new look at Bach’s Suites is the sheer energy of the approach. It is exuberant without ever stepping outside the boundaries of decorum and, where required, which is often, the artists respond with sensibility to the lightly spoken inflexions of the music. But when oratorical strength of projection is called for, the Berlin Academy rise to the occasion splendidly. Never have I heard an opening salvo on the timpani at the beginning of the glorious Fourth Suite sound quite as martial and thunderous as this. Any reader who dares to use the performance as background music to social intercourse does so at their peril. Such gestures as these, however, play but a small part in a movement which, as a whole, is more consistently characterized by passages of most delicately wrought textures for strings and woodwind. Indeed, in its earlier manifestations Bach made provision neither for brass nor timpani with equally telling, though of course quite different results.
In the other D major Suite the celebrated “Air” is played by several violins, as opposed to a solo violin which is sometimes preferred nowadays, a solution which works well here. The B minor Suite, for flute, strings and, here, an additional bassoon in the continuo, on the other hand is treated as pure chamber music with one instrument to a part. The idea is good and fairly commonplace today, but it means that any shortcomings in ensemble and tuning are fully exposed, and not everything here is carried off with either the conviction or aplomb evident elsewhere. In general though, the music is stylishly performed throughout, with scrupulously observed repeats, fine feeling for ornament, appoggiatura and the occasional gently swung rhythm in the dances – the Menuet reprise of the Fourth Suite (second disc, track 4) provides such an instance. A stimulating release, then, which deserves success.'