Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Dunedin Consort
Conductor: John Butt
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Linn
Catalogue: CKD666
Release: 2022
Size: 1.88 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
01. I. Ouverture
02. II. Air
03. III. Gavotte I – Gavotte II
04. IV. Bourrée
05. V. Gigue
Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066
06. I. Ouverture
07. II. Courante
08. III. Gavotte I – Gavotte II
09. IV. Forlane
10. V. Menuet I – Menuet II
11. VI. Bourrée I – Bourrée II
12. VII. Passepied I – Passepied II
CD 02
Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067
01. I. Ouverture
02. II. Rondeau
03. III. Sarabande
04. IV. Bourrée I – Bourrée II
05. V. Polonaise & Double
06. VI. Menuet
07. VII. Badinerie
Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D Major, BWV 1069
08. I. Ouverture
09. II. Bourrée I – Bourrée II
10. III. Gavotte
11. IV. Menuet I – Menuet II
12. V. Réjouissance
The magnificent Orchestral Suites, known as “Ouvertüren” in German, form the final instalment in Dunedin Consort’s long-running Bach masterworks series for Linn, a series lauded as “nothing short of sensational” by “Gramophone”.
The intricate counterpoint and extraordinary technical demands present an opportunity, throughout these four sets of stately French-style overtures and dances, to demonstrate the virtuosic skill present in an ensemble of Dunedin’s calibre. The first two Suites are scored for modest forces, yet the lightness and simplicity of touch conceals a complex musical language built on intimately interweaving parts. The third and fourth Suites calls for trumpets, timpani, oboes, and a full complement of strings, thus making for a grand finale to Dunedin’s unrivalled Bach series. An insight into the ambition of this recording is offered in the title of the fourth suite’s final movement: for what better way to end the series than to fill listeners with immense “réjouissance”!