Smithsonian's big Bach box

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Excavating the basement to see what vinyl I have, I come across treasures that have either never been issued on CD, or are hard to find in that format. This 9-LP set of Bach instrumental music is a case in point. It consists of period instrument performances of the Brandenburg Concertos, Keyboard Partitas, and Violin & Harpsichord sonatas. The whole production is given the luxury treatment, with very detailed essays on the music with lots of photos, and in the case of the Partitas, a 73-page booklet reproducing Bach's original published score. (Here's what the set looks like: http://www.amazon.com/Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Brandenburg-Harpsichord/dp/B004ECJTK2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1)

Of course, these accessories wouldn't matter if the performances were bad; but they are very good for the most part. The Brandenburgs, played by members of the Aston Magna music festival under the direction of Albert Fuller, are fairly middle-of-the-road HIP performances, but very well done, pleasant to listen to throughout, and put down in really good 1970s analog sound. Curiously, side 6 of this set is blank, supposedly to prevent sonic problems caused by cramming all 6 concerti onto 2 LPs. I think they missed a marketing opportunity to advertise this side as a performance of Cage's 4'33".

Good as the Brandenburgs are, I think the Partitas, played by harpsichordist James Weaver, are the most interesting thing in this box. Weaver's approach is driven, highly virtuosic, and somewhat frenetic, almost as if the Partitas were being re-composed by Scarlatti. Most intriguing are the swinging, fast sarabandes, plus the general improvisatory feel. If you like your Bach "cosmic" or reflective, you probably won't dig this very much; but the great thing about Bach is that there are so many valid approaches to him, including high-energy ones like this. Sound is excellent, very lifelike.

I've only dipped into the third volume a bit (the Violin/Harpsichord Sonatas, with Sonya Monosoff on violin). This music is not familiar to me, but I like what I hear so far. As with the other 2 installments, the sound on this one is excellent.

So glad I didn't get rid of all my vinyl!

[Parsifal]

I had the Brandenburgs from that set on 3 LPs.  I remember it fondly although I no longer have the set and can't go back to confirm my impression.

It is disappointing that the LP sets that the Smithsonian produced are not available in some form.  I still have (on LP) something called "The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. and a set of Duke Ellington recordings from the late 30s and early 40s.

[Beorn]

"The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz."

I have a version of that on CD. Cool stuff. 

[Bogey]

As you can also see, hard to find vinyl, especially some classical, does not mean crazy prices. Cool find!

[HIPster]

Yes, very cool find!

I am considering picking one of these up - thanks for posting the amazon link. . .

Just the other day - maybe it was Thursday? could be Friday? - Premont wrote a bit about the Brandenburg LP set in the Listening thread.  Looked enticing then and doubly so now, after your description Velimir.

Thanks for posting - cheers!

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Just the other day - maybe it was Thursday? could be Friday? - Premont wrote a bit about the Brandenburg LP set in the Listening thread.  Looked enticing then and doubly so now, after your description Velimir.

Yes, Premont posted a review because I mentioned it in the "Bach on harpsichord" thread. I'm glad to see it sparked a bit of interest. I've been enjoying these records all weekend.

[Parsifal]

The Smithsonian has information about these recordings on its web site, but no indication of whether they will ever be made available again.  Seems idiotic that they can't at least make it available as some sort of download.

http://smithsonianchambermusic.org/recordings/collection

I still recall the cover art

[kishnevi]

The Smithsonian has information about these recordings on its web site, but no indication of whether they will ever be made available again.  Seems idiotic that they can't at least make it available as some sort of download.

http://smithsonianchambermusic.org/recordings/collection

I still recall the cover art

Dorian sometimes issues Smithsonian sponsored (or at least Smithsonian related) recordings.  Is it possible one or more of these performances have appeared on one of their CDs?