CD: Brandenburg Concerti

This project is an extraordinary undertaking, creating new transcriptions (by Eberhard Klotz) of three of the Brandenburg Concerti. The scoring is skillfully paired down so that the organ features throughout alongside another baroque instrument: cornett, natural trumpet or violin. Together they reinvent the voicing of Bach’s scores without diluting the potency of the music. the individual voices of Ahrend’s superb organ balance effectively with those of the baroque instruments. Thilo Muster’s playing – and that of his colleagues – is exemplary and full of expression. the most interesting and explanatory programme notes lack any translation from German, however. This new interpretation will intrigue those who know the scores well, and delight first-time listeners too.

“Bach changes…: Historische Transkriptionen für konzertierende Orgel und barocke Soloinstrumente” is, as its long title suggests, a set of Bach transcriptions by Eberhard Klotz, performed by Thilo Muster on the organ, Gawain Glenton on the cornett, Daniel Hauptmann on the Baroque violin and Frans Berglund on the trumpets. It is a good way of showcasing the magnificent 1985 organ by Jürgen Ahrend (modeled on a Silbermann) and its diverse timbres, and although on seeing the playlist one may imagine this to be a bit of a populist recording, one does not come away after listening to it with that impression. The ‘Air’ from the Orchestral Suite no.3 has some surprising ornamentation, but the piece lends itself remarkably well to the organ. the playing is careful but passionate, and the culmination of four instruments in Canon duplex a 4 voci (after BWV 1087) is an exciting finale. The notes are in German, English and French, except, for some reason, the history of the organ, which remains untranslated from the German.