Re: Brandenburgs

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

Sorry about the blank message, folks; my mailer went weird earlier this
afternoon.  Here's what I sent the first time: 

On Fri, 2 May 1997, Bob Williams wrote:

> I need advice. I have a recording of the Brandenburg Concertos that I 
> hate. (I won't say who recorded them so you won't be prejudiced.) 
> What are good recordings and why?
> 
> I saw Slaughterhouse Five last night and when the background music 
> was a segment of a BC, I thought my recording of that stinks. I need 
> to ask the GG group for a recommendation or two.

Well, I've heard at least thirty different ones, on all sorts of
instruments, and there are so *many* sets glutting the field!  Only two
sets spring immediately to mind as consistently satisfying or interesting
(to me): 

(first choice) Jordi Savall (Astree).  Lively but never overdriven,
excellent balance, performances sound fresh and fun, good soloists, slow
movements are ravishing, everything very natural yet not boring. 

(second choice) Musica Antiqua Koln / Reinhard Goebel (Archiv).  For 
those who like to explore the extremes: hair-raising energy, sometimes 
iconoclastic interpretations (especially the very fast #6).  

By the way, I think the live recording by GG/Adler/Baltimore of #5 (Music
& Arts) is dreadful, especially the lurchy overdotted last movement (in
the same way that idea didn't work for Adolf Busch, or for either of
Casals' recordings...other than that, I like Casals/Marlboro pretty well
all-around).  Plus GG sounds especially heavy and pedantic in that
performance, and the ensemble doesn't jell.  Too much conflict in the
interpretation. 

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Bradley Lehman, bpl@umich.edu       http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/