Bach: Sonatas and Suites for Oboe & Harpsichord

Advantages: Wonderful transcriptions of JS Bach's majestic music; sensitive, tender, vivacious, effortless and fluid playing.
Disadvantages: Nil.

...Variata in A Minor (Italian Variations) BWV 989 7 Gigue from Violin Partita no 3. BWV1006 Trio Sonata in C Major BWV 529 8 Allegro 9 Largo 10 Allegro Concerto in C minor (after Marcello) BWV 974: 11 Allegro 12 Largo 13 Presto 14 Bist du bei mir (from Anna Magdalena Notebook BWV 508) Concerto in A major (transposed to C Major) BWV 1055: 15 Allegro 16 Larghetto 17 Allegro ma non tanto 18 Badinerie from Orchestral Suite no.2 BWV 1067 19 Agnus Dei from Mass in B minor BWV 232 Performers: Alison Balsom (trumpets), Colm Carey (organ), Alina Ibragimova (violin), Alistair Ross (harpsichord & chamber organ), Mark Caudle (viola da gamba) Total running time: 71' 31" List Price: $16.98 GBP13.99 (Of course, it can easily be had for less on many online stores. Just Google the disc name and artist.) ~~~~~~~~~~~ The following information... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful relaxing music. Rich instrumentation. Played with passion.
Disadvantages: Not all instruments are from the period.

...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... Read review

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Advantages: Relaxing, serene, dreamy
Disadvantages: The first track is not actual Albinoni

...to the rest of the music – actual Albinoni. Many of the tracks are concertos for solo violins against the typical larger string orchestra of violin, viola, cello and continuo (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). The continuo instrument, usually being a harpsichord or organ. The baroque era is dominated by the use of strings and here they can be appreciated for their outstanding qualities. The adagios are slow, smooth and serene decorated with trills and turns. Albinoni was also credited for being the first Italian composer of Oboe concertos. A number of the tracks on the album feature solo oboes against the larger string orchestra (tracks 4, 7, 10, 13). Albinoni's uses the oboe almost like a singer creating a lyrical and pleasant melody to the accompanying strings. Also on the album are three sonatas (tracks 21, 22... Read review

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