Pinnock: Bach – Complete Harpsichord Concertos (3 CD box set, FLAC)

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Trevor Pinnock, Kenneth Gilbert, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Nicholas Kraemer
Orchestra: The English Concert
Conductor: Trevor Pinnock
Audio CD
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 3 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Decca
Size: 1.16 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
01. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, BWV 1052 – 1. Allegro
02. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, BWV 1052 – 2. Adagio
03. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, BWV 1052 – 3. Allegro
04. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.2 In E, BWV 1053 – 1. (Allegro)
05. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.2 In E, BWV 1053 – 2. Siciliano
06. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.2 In E, BWV 1053 – 3. Allegro
07. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.3 In D, BWV 1054 – 1. —
08. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.3 In D, BWV 1054 – 2. Adagio e piano sempre
09. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.3 In D, BWV 1054 – 3. Allegro

CD 02
01. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.4 In A, BWV 1055 – 1. (Allegro moderato)
02. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.4 In A, BWV 1055 – 2. Larghetto
03. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.4 In A, BWV 1055 – 3. Allegro ma non tanto
04. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.5 In F Minor, BWV 1056 – 1. (Allegro)
05. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.5 In F Minor, BWV 1056 – 2. Largo
06. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.5 In F Minor, BWV 1056 – 3. Presto
07. Concerto For Harpsichord, 2 Recorders, Strings, And Continuo No.6 In F, BWV 1057 – 1. —
08. Concerto For Harpsichord, 2 Recorders, Strings, And Continuo No.6 In F, BWV 1057 – 2. Andante
09. Concerto for Harpsichord, 2 Recorders, Strings, and Continuo No.6 in F, BWV 1057 – 3. Allegro assai
10. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.7 In G Minor, BWV 1058 – 1. —
11. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.7 In G Minor, BWV 1058 – 2. Andante
12. Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.7 In G Minor, BWV 1058 – 3. Allegro assai
13. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1060 – 1. Allegro
14. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1060 – 2. Adagio
15. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1060 – 3. Allegro

CD 03
01. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C, BWV 1061 – 1. W/o Tempo Indication
02. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C, BWV 1061 – 2. Adagio ovvero Largo
03. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C, BWV 1061 – 3. Fuga
04. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1062 – 1. W/o Tempo Indication
05. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1062 – 2. Andante e piano
06. Concerto for 2 Harpsichords, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1062 – 3. Allegro assai
07. Concerto For 3 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, BWV 1063 – 1. (Allegro)
08. Concerto For 3 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, BWV 1063 – 2. Alla siciliana
09. Concerto For 3 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, BWV 1063 – 3. Allegro
10. Concerto For 3 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo No.2 In C, BWV 1064 – 1. (Allegro)
11. Concerto For 3 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo No.2 In C, BWV 1064 – 2. Adagio
12. Concerto For 3 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo No.2 In C, BWV 1064 – 3. Allegro
13. Concerto For 4 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo In A Minor, BWV 1065 – 1. (Allegro)
14. Concerto For 4 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo In A Minor, BWV 1065 – 2. Largo
15. Concerto For 4 Harpsichords, Strings, And Continuo In A Minor, BWV 1065 – 3. Allegro

“Bach: Complete Harpsichord Concertos” is a delightfully exhilarating listening experience.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s clavier concertos rank among my very favorites of all his works. I recently acquired a new MP3 album of Bach’s complete clavier concertos performed by Murray Perahia on the piano. While listening to it, I realized I had never heard these masterworks as Bach intended – played on a harpsichord. So, I decided to purchase “Bach: Complete Harpsichord Concertos,” an MP3 album featuring Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert. It turns out I made an inspired choice…

Listening to Bach’s harpsichord concertos on played on period instruments is certainly a different – and exhilarating – experience. The album features Trevor Pinnock as harpsichordist and conductor of The English Concert, an ensemble he founded over 30 years ago. They perform all seven of Bach’s concertos for single harpsichord with incomparable artistry. Harpsichordists Kenneth Gilbert, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, and Nicholas Kraemer join Pinnock on five additional concertos for multiple harpsichords that round out the album. In all these latter performances, the music is exquisite. Pinnock, his fellow keyboardists, and The English Concert completely capture all the Baroque color, timbre, and period-instrument tonal quality that makes this album such a delightful listening experience.

Although I still give a very slight preference to hearing Bach’s keyboard concertos played on a piano instead of a harpsichord, I love “Bach: Complete Harpsichord Concertos.” This is in every respect a beautifully performed album, and certainly one of the very best I’ve ever listened to. It takes a treasured place in my digital music library, and I’m certain I will listen to it constantly, and with great pleasure. Most highly recommended.

This changed my mind regarding harpshichords

I have grown to appreciate Bach more and more. Reading the book Godel, Escher and Bach definitely made me more aware of his genius. That said, I was less interested in performances of his music on the harpsichord than other versions. My initial exposure to his harpsichord music as Igor Kipnis playing the Goldberg Variations, and on those CD’s, the instrument was brittle to the point of being tinny, at least in my mind. I previewed this album before I bought it. Pinnock’s playing is much more assertive, and has shown me that that brittleness I found with that presentation by Kipnis is not mandatory.

Somewhere along the line, I learned that in the French of the day, “baroque” meant crazy. The people who listened to this music weren’t effete stay-at-homes. They were opening the world (for good or ill). As elaborate and intricate as this music is, what it isn’t is weak, be it on organ, harpsichord, or orchestra.