Early Music Concert Review

This is an exercise from a little earlier in the course that I skipped while trying to find a suitable performance or recording. I wasn't able to find a suitable early music concert that I could attend in the time I have left to complete the course, but I did manage eventually to find a quality DVD recording of a performance of all six of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.

The orchestra performing is Freiburger Barockorchester at Cöthen Castle (Bach wrote these concertos while in the employ of the court of Cöthen). This makes for an excellent and relevant setting, with each concerto being performed with it's own particular scored instruments in a different exquisite and luxurious room in the castle. It doesn't have a live audience, being performed for the sole purpose of the DVD recording. This doesn't detract from the experience at all, in fact it gave a sense of intimacy that I find desirable for chamber music. It comes across (as intended) as a private concert for a home audience, but the players don't scrimp on their presentation; all musicians are immaculately turned out in a black and white dress-code that is suited to their environment.

The Freiburger Barockorchester are a period ensemble, and in this performance use instruments and techniques faithful to the period. The string players hold their bow further along than a modern player, who would hold it at the frog. Period instruments used include baroque oboes, flutes and recorders, taking you back to a time when woodwind instruments were actually made of wood, and also a harpsichord, viols and corni da caccia. I noticed a compromise with the natural trumpet - it had vent holes, something not found on baroque instruments. They are usually used nowadays by period ensemble trumpet players to give a fairly authentic sound, while still giving the note accuracy and reliability found with modern instruments.

The musicians themselves were all obvious virtuoso's, and their liveliness, especially from the string players who were standing, gave the performance an energetic and organic feel, and enhanced the enjoyment of the music. There was good balance between the instruments, and excellent dynamic contrast as a whole. All performers really worked their instruments, the lead violin in particular, and they were very adept at keeping silent communication with each other, as there was no conductor. The camerawork helped me as the viewer follow particular instruments or groups at important times, which was especially helpful in the less familiar movements. I particularly enjoyed the closeup shots of the ornate harpsichord keys, which shows the intricacy of the basso continuo line.

My Response

Concerto No.1, Movement IV

This movement consists of a menuet, trio I, menuet da capo, polacca, menuet da capo, trio II and menuet da capo. I was particularly drawn to this movement as in what I believe is the trio I, there is an excellent display from the oboes and bassoon, while all other instruments are silent. It really gives a chance for these instruments to shine, and I enjoyed listening to the bass line from the bassoon underneath the lyrical oboe melody. In the second trio, the horns and the oboes alternately take the focus, with a section of jaunty character. The middle of the movement features a polacca, an unassuming section with a repeated-note bass line, where no particular instrument takes the focus. It has occasional short outbursts, which are a pleasant change of pace. The trios and polacca are interspersed with the main menuet theme, which acts as a 'musical glue' to keep the whole movement together.

Concerto No.5, Movement I

It was the harpsichord that drew me to this movement, as it takes a role in both the concertino and the ripieno, and is a prominent instrument throughout the movement playing frantic scalic passages. The flute and violin join the harpsichord in the concertino group, in what was a popular chamber music ensemble of the time. There is a lengthy solo cadenza passage for the harpsichord which I thoroughly enjoyed; it used the entire scope of both the instrument's keyboards, and I feel really stretched the limits of the harpsichord. It was joined again by the other instruments right at the end of the movement.

Concerto No.3, Movement I

This is one of my favourite pieces of music of all time, and I was really looking forward to seeing what the Freiburger Barockorchester would do with it. I was not disappointed, as the mood was very lively, which I prefer to some of the more sluggish recordings I've heard. There is plenty of movement from the musicians here as well, particularly the ones standing, which I feel really helped with the momentum and forward thrust of the music. There was incredible dynamic contrast within this movement, which really accentuated the very dramatic music. The very low growling bass notes heard towards the end of this movement really stood out for me, and I found them incredibly suspenseful, more than so than other recordings I've heard in the past.