JS BACH Orchestral Suites BWV1066-9
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Johann Sebastian Bach
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: AAM
Magazine Review Date: 02/2015
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 93
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: AAM003
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(4) Orchestral Suites |
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Academy of Ancient Music Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer Richard Egarr, Director, Harpsichord |
Author: Rob Cowan
What I like about Egarr is the way middle voices are liberated and integrated into the overall texture, while the fugal ouvertures breeze along without the dubious benefit of rocket fuel. Take the main body of the opening movement of the First Suite: busy, it’s true, but light years removed from the more aggressive manner of some of its more recent rivals. The oboes, bassoon and strings intertwine easily, the sensation resembling animated conversation. The Courante wears a gentle demeanour, the rushing figurations beneath the Forlane’s main melody beautifully woven. Converging lines are clear but relatively soft-grained; and in the Third Suite, after a vigorous and rousing Ouverture, the celebrated Air really sings, Egarr’s tasteful continuo aiding the bass-line in pursuit of maximum expressive subtlety. The sense of celebration extends to the Fourth Suite, where the timps are vividly captured and the limpid phrasing breathes easily. The Second and most intimate of the Suites benefits from superb solo playing, Rachel Brown never hogging the limelight, which is appropriate given that her wind-playing colleagues match her standards throughout. As to the sound, I was never aware of it until prompted to comment, which is as it should be. All in all, a feast of meaningfully understated musicianship. I loved it.
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