"The Brandenburg Concertos seem to be Bach's most popular works by far, and there are so many recordings of them out there--on period instruments and "modern," and at all price ranges. Of course, it's hard to pick out one or even two to call the "best"--but this reissue of a 1989 recording by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has a good claim for the title of "Best Buy Brandenburgs." These performances don't have the splashy extroversion of Il Giardino Armonico or the caffeine-pumped, high-velocity thrill of Musica Antiqua Köln, but they're not overly reserved or dull, as some English ensembles are accused of being. The OAE's instrumental playing is very skillful indeed, with particularly nice work from the horns in the third movement of the First Concerto, and from trumpeter Mark Bennett in the Second; and the tempos are moderately quick (which means that they would have been considered rather fast before 1980 or so), but without being breathless. The slow movements sing sweetly--the viola playing of Monica Huggett and Pavlo Besnosiuk in the slow movement of the Sixth Concerto is especially lovely--and the quick outer movements have an infectiously bouncy pulse."

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Audio CD (June 8, 1999)
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 2
Label: EMI Classics
ASIN: B00000J2PP
Tracklist

CD 1
Listen: 01 - Concerti No.1 in F Major: I. No Tempo Indication
Listen: 02 - Concerti No.1 in F Major: II. Adagio
Listen: 03 - Concerti No.1 in F Major: III. Allegro
Listen: 04 - Concerti No.1 in F Major: IV. Menueto - Trio I - Polacca - Trio II
Listen: 05 - Concerto No.2 In F Major: I. No Tempo Indicated
Listen: 06 - Concerto No.2 In F Major: II. Andante
Listen: 07 - Concerto No.2 In F Major: III. Allegro assai
Listen: 08 - Concerto No.3 In G Major: I. No Tempo Indicated
Listen: 09 - Concerto No.3 In G Major: II. Adagio - Allegro

CD 2
Listen: 01 - Concerto No.4 In G Major: I. Allegro
Listen: 02 - Concerto No.4 In G Major: II. Andante
Listen: 03 - Concerto No.4 In G Major: III. Presto
Listen: 04 - Concerto No.5 in D major: I. Allegro
Listen: 05 - Concerto No.5 in D major: II. Affetuoso
Listen: 06 - Concerto No.5 In D Major: III. Allegro
Listen: 07 - Conceto No.6 In B-flat Major: I. No Tempo Indicated
Listen: 08 - Conceto No.6 In B-flat Major: II. Adagio na non tanto
Listen: 09 - Concerto No.6 In B-flat Major: III. Allegro