May 2006
The Masaaki Suzuki readings on BIS are alert and stylish. The overtures to each suite seem a tad too ceremonial, more like Handel than Bach, yet are not lugubrious. The dances are delightfully played, and performing the second suite with just the solo flute and one string instrument per part gives it a lovely chamber-music sound that is delightfully transparent. Turning to Diego Fasolis on ARTS, one is immersed in performances that seem not only alert, but on fire. Rhythms are sprung in a way that makes one want to dance or sing along. The overtures are grand yet brisk, and the dances sound like real dance music. The playing seems meshed with every players heartbeat. Suzukis suites are enjoyable; Diegos are a joyous event. In multichannel sound, the BIS is uncharacteristically edgy, with a slightly weak bass line. The ARTS recording is rich, full, and transparent, with incredible timpani sound in the D major suites, proper balance for the blazing trumpets in the same pieces, and a correctly balanced, defined bass line. However, if you are only going to listen to the CD layer of the disc, the previously released Telarc recording sounds best in that format. GO BACK TO: |