Brandenburg Concertos, 1-6

Better than most, Karl Richter knew that the Brandenburg Concertos are serious fun and ought to be played that way. There is a sense of joy in these wry readings, of something elevated but at the same time earthy and jaunty and not too pious, that still delights after a quarter of a century– and nowhere does one get a better feeling for the extraordinary efflorescence of Bach’s genius. The accounts are briskly paced and soloistic in approach, with every participant freely involoved. While the intonation is at times a little less than precise, the overall effect is delightfully fresh and musical; and the recordings scarcely show their age. –Ted Libbey