Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

If I was ever asked to select my "desert island discs", top of my list would be Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. (I wonder if there's a category in the ciao café?. . . ) The six Brandenburg concertos, each with their distinct quality and sound requiring a different combination of instruments, are not only a delight to listen to but exemplify the intellectual musical genius of their composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. All six are composed in major ...
...of key demanded by the baroque conventions are skilfully completed and Bach's predilection for numbers and ornate touches are evident. I could say more but this isn't a musical analysis . . .

I am not alone in my high estimation, The Brandenburg concertos are now probably the best loved and most frequently performed works by Bach. This was not always the case however. They were originally not very well received. Johann Sebastian Bach, ... more

If I was ever asked to select my "desert island discs", top of my list would be Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. (I wonder if there's a category in the ciao café?. . . ) The six Brandenburg concertos, each with their distinct quality and sound requiring a different combination of instruments, are not only a delight to listen to but exemplify the intellectual musical genius of their composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. All six are composed in major keys creating and maintaining a cheerful, vivacious collection. The modulations of key demanded by the baroque conventions are skilfully completed and Bach's predilection for numbers and ornate touches are evident. I could say more but this isn't a musical analysis . . .

I am not alone in my high estimation, The Brandenburg concertos are now probably the best loved and most frequently performed works by Bach. This was not always the case however. They were originally not very well received. Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the giants of the baroque period, presented the set of concertos as a gift to the Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg in 1721. The Margrave never even acknowledged the gift let alone thanked Bach for his work. For the next thirteen years, the concertos were to languish in the marquis' library untouched. It was only on his death, that they were then released and shared with the public.

There are many, many recordings of the Brandenburg concertos. This particular album is a 1959 recording of Yehudi Menuhin and the Bath Festival Orchestra published in May, 1995 by Emi Classical. Can a recording from nearly 50 years ago possibly stand the test of time? The simple answer is yes it can and does so superbly.

Baroque works are best heard (in my opinion) on the period instruments for which they were originally intended. Whilst Menuhin and his Bath Festival orchestra do not entirely use period instruments, the continuo is performed on the harpsichord and Menuhin uses a piccolo violin in the first.

Before I go on to say a little about the individual concertos, I think maybe I should just describe what a concerto actually involves. A concerto is a form of music in which a solo instrument or instruments are contrasted with a larger body of instruments.

The main body of instruments of the baroque period is the string section and a continuo instrument usually a harpsichord or organ plays the underlying harmony. The usual format for a concerto is three movements (a fast tempo movement followed firstly by a slow movement and then by another fast movement).
Bach, in the main, followed these conventions in his Brandenburg concertos but varied the instrumental arrangements to produce six dazzling and unique compositions.

The first concerto has four movements instead of the usual three. However, the additional fourth movement, a stylish dance movement - a minuet, is often omitted from many recordings - not so in Menuhin's, the work remains just as it did when Bach presented his gift. The opening movement has a contagious sense of fun with rousing hunting horn calls carrying anyone and everyone along for the ride. Deep, sonorous bassoons create a wonderful rustic quality (rather than the pretty pastoral quality of many musical works depicting the countryside). The minuet rounding up the concerto creates an overall feeling of dazzling sophistication - how could anyone leave it out!!

The second concerto is completely different with an unexpected but delectable quartet of trumpet, recorder, oboe, and violin soloists set against the main body of strings and continuo.
The third concerto is more conventional and straightforward using just three violins, three violas and three cellos with harpsichord and bass continuo. Each of the three instruments are given equal dominance and the music flows almost conversationally between rising to a boisterous bursts of energy.

In the fourth concerto, recorders are heard in the distance over the stringed accompaniment. The recorders, played by brothers Christopher and Richard Taylor (famous for playing flutes with the Beatles on Fool on the Hill and Magical Mystery Tour) with clarity and precision, exude an irresistible charm and sweetness. This is often considered to be the lightest and prettiest of the Brandenburg concertos - and probably is.

The harpsichord, normally playing continuo under the melody, suddenly rises to stunning solo prominence in the fifth. Played magnificently by George Malcolm, the effective is superlative.
In the final Brandenburg concerto, Bach leaves out the violins (a unique action for a baroque composer), using lower strings only. Menuhin also takes the first viola leading the orchestra in a richness and profound sound that evoke a deep whirlwind-sensation of emotions.

The Marquis of Brandenburg may not have appreciated this, Bach's gift of six concertos, but I certainly do. Bach gave the world a gift to treasure for all time. Yehudi Menuhin, George Malcolm, Christopher and Richard Taylor and the rest of the Bath Festival Orchestra perform them with heart-felt passion.

It may not be the best recording available and I would have personally preferred more period instruments but it is good - very very good and at a budget price is excellent value.

The 2CD album is readily available at most good music shops and also online with a retail price of £8.99. Samples of each of the concertos is available on http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000000UUW/ref=sr_11_1/104-2152696-9047139?%5Fencoding=UTF8.

Lay back, listen and delight.

Now lets see if the café has that desert island category.
 

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