Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – J. S. Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, BWV 1052-1058 (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – J. S. Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, BWV 1052-1058 (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:52:04 minutes | 2,31 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

An exhilarating collectionThe seven fabulously inventive concertos for solo harpsichord and orchestra mark a key stage in the history of the concertante form. The set was compiled during Bach’s Leipzig years, when he directed the city’s Collegium Musicum, and requires unfailing virtuosity and imagination of its performers. The contagious pleasure one feels in the interpretations of Andreas Staier and the Freiburger Barockorchester restores the full range of meanings to the word ‘play’!

Nowadays, J.S. Bach’s seven harpsichord concertos are most often performed on a grand piano with modern orchestral accompaniment, largely for the sake of striking a proper balance of dynamics and instrumentation. In light of this preference, it has become a little difficult to find historically informed versions that sound close to what Bach would have heard. These period style performances by Andreas Staier and the Freiburger Barockorchester provide a welcome alternative to the standard modern releases, and listeners with a taste for authenticity can be assured that Staier’s scholarship and interpretations are impeccable. Staier plays a replica of a 1734 harpsichord, and the small ensemble of recorders, strings, and continuo is appropriately scaled to the music’s textures and the balance of soloist and orchestra. Harmonia Mundi’s recording is elaborate, involving spot and omnidirectional microphones that capture the players with remarkable subtlety and presence, so all the nuances and details of these exciting performances can be heard clearly without sacrificing the full-bodied sound. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:

1-1. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.1 BWV 1052 in D minor: I. Allegro (07:48)
1-2. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.1 BWV 1052 in D minor: II. Adagio (07:06)
1-3. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.1 BWV 1052 in D minor: III. Allegro (08:05)
1-4. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.2 BWV 1053 in E major: I. (08:31)
1-5. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.2 BWV 1053 in E major: II. Siciliano (04:43)
1-6. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.2 BWV 1053 in E major: III. Allegro (06:38)
1-7. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.7 BWV 1058 in G minor: I. (03:36)
1-8. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.7 BWV 1058 in G minor: II. Andante (05:46)
1-9. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.7 BWV 1058 in G minor: III. Allegro assai (04:06)
2-10. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.3 BWV 1054 in D major: I. (07:41)
2-11. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.3 BWV 1054 in D major: II. Adagio e piano sempre (06:39)
2-12. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.3 BWV 1054 in D major: III. Allegro (02:41)
2-13. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.4 BWV 1055 in A major: I. Allegro (04:24)
2-14. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.4 BWV 1055 in A major: II. Larghetto (05:14)
2-15. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.4 BWV 1055 in A major: III. Allegro ma non troppo (04:20)
2-16. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.5 BWV 1056 in F minor: I. (03:05)
2-17. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.5 BWV 1056 in F minor: II. Largo (02:40)
2-18. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.5 BWV 1056 in F minor: III. Presto (03:36)
2-19. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.6 BWV 1057 in F major: I. (06:52)
2-20. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.6 BWV 1057 in F major: II. Andante (03:32)
2-21. Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester – Concerto No.6 BWV 1057 in F major: III. Allegro assai (04:50)

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