This is an absolute cracker of a CD, I think. The Purcell Quartet have been making wonderful, highly acclaimed recordings for well over a quarter of a century now. This one is exceptionally good even by their own enormously high standard.
The works are transcriptions of six of Bach's Organ Sonatas (BWV525-530 to be precise) by Richard Boothby, the ensemble's excellent viola da gamba player. He has made a really good job of bringing these wonderful pieces to a wider audience (including me, as I'm not much of a fan of organ music). This is, of course, very much in Bach's own idiom - he was an inveterate arranger and recycler and a couple of the movements from these sonatas appear in his cantatas and concertos. Boothby's transcriptions are ingenious and varied, which maintains one's interest throughout while keeping the music unmistakably Bach. It is exemplary work and I think Bach would thoroughly have approved.
The Purcell Quartet play together with a delightful empathy both with the music and each other, and the music absolutely glows. The performances are simply terrific. It has been sheer pleasure to me to find unfamiliar and wonderful works by Bach played so well.
I really don't know what more to say other than that this has become one of my very favourite Bach discs in a pretty extensive collection. The recorded sound is excellent and the notes extremely interesting. It's an outstanding disc all round and very warmly recommended.
