This is a real de luxe version of Bach’s proud present to Frederick the Great. Ensemble Sonnerie have looked beyond the instrumentations employed for most performances of the work (for instance, Cologne Musica Antiqua on a three-disc set and, more recently, the Kuijken brothers, who do not venture beyond the flute, violin and harpsichord-based continuo scoring of its trio sonata) and have welcomed in a variety of colourful combinations, right up to a rich consort realization of the six-part Ricercar (though we do get the keyboard version of this piece as well). This is not quite as cavalier as it might appear; many of the sounds will be familiar enough to Bach enthusiasts, from the fruity presence of the oboe da caccia to the delicious doubling of flute and violin. Some must have caused the engineers problems of balance (the viola da gamba seems rather close in some of the canons, for instance), but the greater clarity achieved certainly helps the listener to follow closely Bach’s amazing contrapuntal ingenuity. The overlapping of different instrumental combinations in the canons also allows Ensemble Sonnerie to lengthen the work, as does their willingness to follow Bach’s invitation to “Quaerando Invenietis” (“seek and you shall find”) and investigate a few extra contrapuntal possibilities. The result is about 20 more minutes of music than usual.
The playing itself is of as high a standard as one would expect from the names above, with everyone taking part as if this were music to be enjoyed rather than just admired. I like Gary Cooper’s sensitive interpretative distinction between the severe counterpoint of the six-part Ricercar and the freer keyboard style of its three-part counterpart, while the trio sonata has a conversational charm and poise that will be familiar to anyone who has heard this group’s recent Telemann recordings. This must be the most purely enjoyable Musical Offering for a long time.'