The same conductor and ensemble perform this entire program,
yet the various concertos are performed in two completely different
styles!
In the last two
Brandenburgs, I Barocchisti continues
in the vein of the first four (on Arts Authentic 47715-8 - see
review), fusing an adventurous if disconcerting hybrid of "period" and
modern approaches. At first, the first movement of BWV 1050 sounds
skittery, lacking in sheer old-fashioned dignity; but as the
players settle, the music achieves a nice flow. The violin and
the flute add trills on some of the back-and-forth sustained
notes, but, oddly, the similar passage at 3:41 leading back to
the main theme is left bald! Director Diego Fasolis brings a
nice flair to the harpsichord cadenza, with some added bass couplings,
but the ending is a bit abrupt and breathless. The forthright
Affettuoso has
a cool demeanour that belies its designation. The finale, however,
is quite good: the tempo is by no means
outré,
and the buoyancy and lift of the phrasing would be welcome in
any performance.
A swift tempo actually helps the first movement of BWV 1051:
the upper two string lines, at what sounds like numerical parity,
merge into a single, bustling statement where many performances
give the effect of stronger and weaker partners. There's little
ritard into the movement's close, but a strong
tenuto on
the last sustained chord gives it a "final" emphasis.
Some listeners will want more affect in the
Adagio ma non
tanto -- surely some of Bach's most overtly expressive music
-- but the flowing pace clarifies the shape of the melody. In
the finale, the
forte at 2:13 is attacked with surprising
vehemence, and there's a few added appoggiaturas and trills in
counterpoint at 2:54. But its recurring theme is sufficiently
weighted to bring the concerto -- and the cycle as a whole, should
you listen to all six concerti in sequence -- to a satisfying
conclusion.
BWV 1044, compositionally and interpretively, brings us into
a completely different realm. It's a full-sized, three-movement
concerto rather than a
concerto grosso, complete with
introductory
ritornello. The nominal
concertino --
flute, violin, and harpsichord -- is identical to that of BWV
1050, but the harpsichord plays the principal role, with the
flute and violin lines more
obbligato than
concertato in
function.
It's a very different sort of piece from the
Brandenburgs,
then, and I Barocchisti changes its game plan accordingly, phrasing
unaffectedly, avoiding obvious point-making, giving the music
breathing room. The orchestra even
sounds different: where
the
Brandenburgs could sound bass-heavy - perhaps because
the handful of treble instruments lacked time to produce full
tone - here the sonority is evenly balanced. The first movement
is firm and grounded, at what sound like good mainstream tempi,
with the minor key enhancing the overall sense of substance.
Given the harpsichord's limited sustaining power, the mobile
tempo for the central
Adagio, ma non tanto e dolce is
sensible and effective. The finale blossoms as handsome legato
lines float in over, and occasionally supplant, the prevailing
triplet motion. Harpsichordist Francesco Cera handles his prominent
solo with assurance and musicality; his occasional use of heavier
registrations provides variety and asserts the instrument's presence
in the texture.
The SACD sounds vivid in plain frontal stereo, with excellent
depth; but I'm puzzled at the absence of recording information.
Presumably, these recordings were made along with those on the
companion disc, in 2004, at Lugano's Auditorium RSI.
Stephen Francis Vasta
see also review by Paul Shoemaker
I Barocchisti/Diego Fasolis 
[54:28] 
