Search - Bach, I Musici :: Brandenburg Concerti 1-6

C.B. K. from RIO RANCHO, NM
Reviewed on 9/14/2009...

I Musici is an Italian chamber orchestra formed in 1952 that is well-known for their interpretations of baroque and other works. In addition to their usual group of strings and harpsichord, this CD includes horn, oboe, bassoon, and flute. Included are Concerto No. 1 in F, Concerto No. 2 in F, and Concerto No. 3 in G.

I Musici Is Always Excellence

Octavius | United States | 10/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've studied and listened to classical music for over 25 years and I have heard various renditions of Bach's beloved Brandenburg Concertos. Besides a few other performances such as those conducted by Raymond Leppard or Neville Marriner, I have not heard many renditions that even compare to this great performance by I Musici. As with all of their performances, I Musici brings a clear and most passionate interpretation that few can match. Having been one of the most acclaimed Baroque groups for over 50 years by conducting legends such as Toscanini, I Musici is undisputably one of the best Baroque musical groups in existence today. I Musici performs the piece to perfection with its small chamber ensemble. All of the instruments are period instruments and most of the strings are Stradivari bringing out of the composition a clear, sharp, incomparable sound.



Don't be deceived into buying other performances even if they are by great conductors and symphonies such as Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic or Solti and the Chicago/London Symphonies. The orchestral ensembles they use are generally too large for chamber pieces and most of the instruments used are modern. They are also recorded in too large of spaces so the performances sound like Beethoven's 9th instead of a chamber piece. There are other groups and recordings that are more faithful to Baroque techniques and traditional interpretations but their performances tend to be overly rigid and lifeless. The artists in such chamber groups generally come from academic backgrounds on traditional techniques and instruments instead of professional performance training and so are more focused on applying the techniques instead of evoking from them the mood required by the piece. This results in clumsy and lifeless performances where each musician painfully over-accentuates the proper techniques throughout the entire piece so that it comes out sounding as a cacophony instead of a symphony. I Musici is comprised of some of the finest classical musicians alive today and Pina Carmirelli who performs flawlessly here is probably one of the best violinists to have peformed with them whose 1982 performance with them of Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' is one of the standards excellence for performance of that piece. They emphasize more on a passionate Italian Romantic interpretation in their performances instead of a rigid Baroque one and the results are most delightful to the ears. That perhaps is the only flaw in its interpretation to Bach which would require a little more mechanical precision common with his compositions as opposed to the more fluid Italian style performed here. Although I Musici usually tends to work better with Italian than German Baroque, their shortcomings in that field are hardly noticable in their performances or this recording. These slight shortcomings are more than compensated for by I Musici performing with some of the best classical musicians exclusively on traditional instruments and within the size of a small Baroque chamber orchestra. Lastly, I Musici di Roma is also known for having some of the best sound engineering and mixing for its recordings than any other chamber group and this album is one of many great examples. The recording quality for this performance is so rich and clear for each instrument being played that you actually feel as if you are at a live performance each time you hear it.



I Musici di Roma is unequivocally one of the best, if not the best, performing groups for almost all Baroque music and you won't go wrong buying any of their performances no matter whether the composers are from the Italian or German Baroque period. They are rightfully seen as one of the highest standards of excellence for performance of Baroque amongst all professional performance circles."

Fast tempo, flawless performance

Octavius | 05/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I Musici scores big with this recording. The tempo is fast-paced yet precise and the recording allows each instrument its own individuality. The orchestra performs flawlessly."