Bach: Complete Orchestral Suites /Boston Baroque · M Pearlman [CD]

Here's a recent version of all Bach's orchestral suites done by a period band on one CD. I've owned a lot of recordings of this music over the past 30 years, beginning with Pablo Casals recordings with the Marlboro Festival Orchestra way back when. The most recent was the wonderful period performances by Alte Musik Berlin. The main downside of these recordings was the performances of Suites 1-3 tended to sound the same, which made buying two CDs something of a risk.

That was resolved for a lot of people when the single CD performance led by Neville Marriner appeared in the 1970s. That recording has stood the test of time and had the one-CD market to itself...until this one came along. In this recording, Martin Pearlman leads the Boston Baroque period band in somewhat romanticized concepts of the music. The timpani bellows in these recordings in a way you don't often hear in period performance. There are also ritards at the end of symphonic statements, another trend away from PPP. And Pearlman tends to dot the rhythmic pulse in concluding moments, like he does in the Passsapied finale of the Suite No. 1 in C Minor.

I like all these affects and believe it brings a warmth and slight romance to the music that isn't often heard these days. What I like most, however, is the unhurried performance of the wonderful Suite No. 2, where flutist Chirstopher Krueger gives competition to every name performer that has done this music. This is a very different performance than I have ever heard in this wonderful music. The relaxed performance allows Bach's score to breathe, take life and wing, and float along as if gossamer mist in a slight wind.

Not every moment of this CD is this perfect but most of them are pretty darn good. Listeners looking for an economical approach to the complete Bach orchestral suite canon have this and the "ancient" Marriner versions to choose from. This one is in new millennium DDD sound, is wonderfully played, is warm and verging on a romantic approach, and can be had for $5-$8 used on Amazon.com. There's not much reason to reject it, in my opinion.

Whoever thinks of classical music (especially Bach) as thick and stodgy needs to have a listen to this CD. Pearlman's Bach is lively, not stately and soporific like many of the other versions I have either heard or own-- and for that reason it was a revelation.

I never realized how much of a difference the conductor makes in the way a piece is performed; clearly in Pearlman's case, he's not just some guy standing on a podium waving his arms. These performances are brimming with a life that brings out all the color and genius of Bach. Whatever your mood, I defy you to listen to these pieces without them bringing a smile to your face and a tap to your toes.

J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suites have been a part of my listening experience for a very long time and I've heard them performed on many recordings plus in live performances. This one (1) disc recording of what is thought to be Bach's entire output of orchestral music that were written separately and, according to the notes, were written in the "French Style". Whatever the case may be, I found this recording by the Boston Baroque ensemble lead by Martin Pearlman to be extremely fresh sounding. No "heaviness" just extreme clarity of all parts especially in the counterpoint sections with all being articulated clearly and finely. The virtuosic sections are performed very excitingly with the slow parts being delivered movingly and majestically. However, it all sounded "new" to me--so fresh and clean. The recorded sound is good too. In other words, Perlman and the Boston Baroque have delivered a very fine recording of J.S.'s Orchestra Suites indeed. Try it, you'll like it!