The six Brandenburg Concertos—composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1721 and dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg—are unquestionably the most famous concerti grossi of the Baroque era. On this well-engineered disc they receive lithe, graceful readings by a fine original instrument group, the Freiburger Barockorchestra—led by violinist Gottfried von der Goltz—filmed at the Hall of Mirrors in Cothen Castle, a particularly suitable site, since it's presumed the concertos were written for its court orchestra. The music, of course, is endlessly inventive, marked by elegant and effervescent strings, to which are periodically added horns, oboes, flutes, a high trumpet (in the second concerto), and even a solo harpsichord (in the fifth) featuring an elaborate cadenza that the dour-looking Michael Behringer tosses off with aplomb. The camerawork is fluid, the sound excellent (with Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo options), and the DVD includes three extras: the first two are musical—a sarabande from the fifth cello suite and a final trio from the “Coffee” Cantata—while the third is an odd little featurette in which a cardboard cutout of Bach is glimpsed tottering around the grounds at Cothen while the Freiburgers perform his music, a joke that runs out of steam pretty quickly. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)
Brandenburg Concertos—Freiburger Barockorchestra from Cothen Castle
(2000) 95 min. DVD: $19.99 (booklet included). EuroArts (dist. by Naxos of America). Color cover. Volume 21, Issue 5
Brandenburg Concertos—Freiburger Barockorchestra from Cothen Castle
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