It must be a good thing, for the sake of variety, that baroque music is not yet the exclusive province of original-instrument groups. Viktoria Mullova and her highly talented ensemble, however, playing one-to-a-part, have taken many lessons from the early music movement. Their emphasis on clarity, their avoidance of intense sostenuto and excessive vibrato, and their use of dynamic gradation to point phrasing, give the impression of taking on the ‘authentic’ musicians at their own game. The most important question is whether or not this approach is successful. Most people, I’m sure, will enjoy the vigour and litheness of the playing, and the bright, appealing tone of the solo violin and oboe.
However, there are problems, too. Different sorts of bowing are more sharply differentiated with modern instruments; their dynamic range is greater, so the interpretive gestures tend to sound contrived, though still exciting and vivid. Comparing the first movement of the E major Concerto with The King’s Consort version (on period instruments) Catherine Mackintosh’s phrasing and articulation sound much more natural, less extreme. She convinces us that she’s playing the music as it should go; Mullova, by contrast, is imposing an interpretation. The acoustic of the new Philips recording is quite intimate, giving excellent clarity to Bach’s often complex bass-lines. The harpsichord sound, though, is very dry and doesn’t blend into the texture, thus giving an unwelcome prominence to some contentious ornamentation in the slow movement of the G minor Concerto.
Personally, I’d opt for a fine original-instrument version, like that of The King’s Consort, but if this approach appeals there’s a lot to enjoy here.'