Along with the violin concertos and the Brandenburgs, the four Orchestral Suites have over a long period of time been among the most frequently recorded of all Bach’s works for instrumental ensemble. All have in common the fact that performers have rarely found in them much room for surprise; in the case of the suites, recent years have seen Cologne Musica Antiqua stirring in a few quirks and a typically fierce originality and energy, while the Boston Early Music Soloists must have made a few people jump with their startling adoption of the same tempo for both the ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ sections of the overtures. But such radical departures from the norm have remained few.
Readers who remember Philip Pickett’s recent recording of the Brandenburg Concertos (1/95) and its accompanying lengthy thesis exploring their possible basis in allegory may well be asking themselves what lies in wait this time. Symbolism does indeed make an appearance in the form of suggestion that the Fourth Suite, rather like Telemann’s Overture-Suite, Hamburger Ebb und Fluth, might have some connection with wind, water and associated deities. But Pickett’s main coup on this occasion has been to re-examine the speeds of the dance movements, basing his decisions on comments in Johann Mattheson’s 1739 treatise Der vollkommene Capellmeister. Some of the results may raise eyebrows, but I for one find them convincing while at the same time not invalidating more conventional choices. Most striking are the bourrees, which are considerably slower than usual but with a new and attractive lilt, while gavottes are faster, giving them much more of a country-dance flavour.
Other pleasures include a punchy Rejouissance to end the Fourth Suite, Pickett having begun it with an overture of splendidly laid-back opulence; and a delightfully stealthy slow section in the Overture to the Second Suite, much aided by the finely controlled flute playing of Lisa Beznosiuk. All these touches add character while stopping short of gratuitous mannerism, and the result is performances which, carefully thought out as ever by Pickett, end up sounding different enough to be interesting but hardly so much as to scare the horses. More importantly, played one-to-a-part in a bright and open acoustic, they are technically adept, and show no shortage of spirit or subtlety. And there is added value in the shape of five instrumental numbers taken from Bach’s cantatas, presumably chosen to echo at least two elements of the suites: rich scoring and fanfares. Well worth your money.'