JS Bach - Brandenburg Concertos | Supraphon SU42132

JS Bach - Brandenburg Concertos

£18.95

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Label: Supraphon

Cat No: SU42132

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 2

Genre: Orchestral

Release Date: 9th December 2016

Contents

Artists

Eduard Melkus (violin)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt (cello, viola da gamba)
Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord)
Kammerorchester des Wiener Konzerthauses

Conductor

Josef Mertin

Works

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Brandenburg Concertos nos 1-6, BWV1046-51 (complete)

Artists

Eduard Melkus (violin)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt (cello, viola da gamba)
Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord)
Kammerorchester des Wiener Konzerthauses

Conductor

Josef Mertin

About

Within a short time, early music enthusiasts had to say their farewells to two personalities who, for half a century, influenced the development of what we call the authentic interpretation of early music: Gustav Leonhardt and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. In 1950 Supraphon made a complete recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos performed by a chamber ensemble led by a musician of Czech origin, Josef Mertin (1904-1998). A scholar and organ builder as well, he relentlessly dusted the works of composers from the previous centuries (including Guillaume de Machaut), stubbornly seeking the way to give their music its authentic sound. The names of his pupils who took up his legacy make an impressive list that includes Claudio Abbado, Mariss Jansons and Zubin Mehta. Mertin managed to win a number of students for the interpretation of early music on period instruments, among them musicians without whom we can hardly imagine the field nowadays. The Brandenburg Concertos were performed by an ensemble whose members were the 22-year-old cembalist Gustav Leonhardt (playing the solo in Concerto No.5), a rising violin star Eduard Melkus and - a year younger - the violoncellist Nikolaus Harnoncourt. It was the first time that a chamber-sized ensemble and period instruments were used. Hopefully, listening to the recording will convince you that it is more than just a historical document. As far as Mertin and Harnoncourt are concerned, this unique recording is also a proud reminder of their Czech roots.

Recorded in Vienna, 1950

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