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Alpha

Bach: Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4 / Fortin, Ensemble Masques

$20.99

Details

Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach
Artist
Olivier Fortin
Format
CD
Label
Alpha
Released
Jun 10, 2022
Catalog #
ALPHA832
UPC
3760014198328

About

The orchestral suite, sometimes simply called ‘overture’ because of the imposing dimensions of its opening movement, enjoyed great popularity in the early eighteenth century, especially in central Germany. Bach had discovered the genre in his youth and cultivated it until his late period in Leipzig. This recording assembles his four overture-suites, including the famous Suite no.2 BWV 1067, which belongs among the late works. Numerous copying errors in the instrumental parts suggest that this piece was originally written a tone lower – in A minor – and therefore probably for a solo instrument other than the transverse flute: in the present recording, this first version, reconstructed from the clues mentioned above, is performed with solo oboe. ‘This is a work of austere beauty, in which contrapuntal skill and melancholic expression are combined in a highly original way with the carefully calculated dance rhythms’, writes Peter Wollny in the accompanying booklet article.

REVIEW:

I really like the spirited performances here. The tempos are brisk and the articulation of strings and winds is crisp. I particularly enjoy listening to the continuo. Their sound is vigorous; and the definition in Julien Debordes’s bassoon playing is remarkable. Having her take the lead in fast movements helps to keep the ensemble together, pushing the tempo forward. Notes are in English.

-- American Record Guide

From solo instrumental works to introductory choruses in cantatas, Bach revelled in the seductive style of the French Overture. His four orchestral Overtures, as these suites were known in Germany, have a variety and scintillating approach to instrumentation that puts them on a par with the Brandenburg Concertos.

Ensemble Masques, directed by Olivier Fortin from the harpsichord, comprises ten players. Their slender forces and predominantly fast tempos may not appeal to listeners favouring the ‘grand manner’ in these works, but these performances are both vibrant instrumentally and wonderfully responsive, as is clearly evident at the start of the first Overture with understated dotted rhythms underpinning some beautifully-shaped phrasing in the upper voices. The instrumental contribution is delightful throughout with plenty of ear-catching detail, notably Julien Debordes’s superb bassoon playing. Mathieu Loux, the oboe soloist – rather than the customary flute – in the second Overture, is also magnificent; his subtly unequal phrasing in the famous ‘Badinerie’ is a rare delight.

-- BBC Music Magazine

Tracklist 24 tracks

  1. 1 I. Ouverture 05:56
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Ouverture
    Duration
    05:56
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  2. 2 II. Courante 02:27
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Courante
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  3. 3 III. Gavotte I-II 02:54
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Gavotte I-II
    Duration
    02:54
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  4. 4 IV. Forlane 01:17
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Forlane
    Duration
    01:17
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  5. 5 V. Menuet I-II 02:59
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Menuet I-II
    Duration
    02:59
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  6. 6 VI. Bourree I-II 02:28
    Track
    6
    Title
    VI. Bourree I-II
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  7. 7 VII. Passepied I-II 02:49
    Track
    7
    Title
    VII. Passepied I-II
    Duration
    02:49
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  8. 8 I. Ouverture 06:52
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. Ouverture
    Duration
    06:52
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  9. 9 II. Rondeau 01:39
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Rondeau
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  10. 10 III. Sarabande 02:55
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Sarabande
    Duration
    02:55
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  11. 11 IV. Bourrées I-II 01:45
    Track
    11
    Title
    IV. Bourrées I-II
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  12. 12 V. Polonaise I-II 03:46
    Track
    12
    Title
    V. Polonaise I-II
    Duration
    03:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  13. 13 VI. Menuet 01:05
    Track
    13
    Title
    VI. Menuet
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  14. 14 VII. Badinerie 01:38
    Track
    14
    Title
    VII. Badinerie
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  15. 15 I. Ouverture 06:40
    Track
    15
    Title
    I. Ouverture
    Duration
    06:40
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  16. 16 II. Air 03:58
    Track
    16
    Title
    II. Air
    Duration
    03:58
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  17. 17 III. Gavotte I-II 03:23
    Track
    17
    Title
    III. Gavotte I-II
    Duration
    03:23
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  18. 18 IV. Bourree 01:03
    Track
    18
    Title
    IV. Bourree
    Duration
    01:03
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  19. 19 V. Gigue 02:47
    Track
    19
    Title
    V. Gigue
    Duration
    02:47
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  20. 20 I. Overture 07:47
    Track
    20
    Title
    I. Overture
    Duration
    07:47
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  21. 21 II. Bourree I-II 02:22
    Track
    21
    Title
    II. Bourree I-II
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  22. 22 III. Gavotte 01:56
    Track
    22
    Title
    III. Gavotte
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  23. 23 IV. Menuet I-II 04:30
    Track
    23
    Title
    IV. Menuet I-II
    Duration
    04:30
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin
  24. 24 V. Réjouissance 02:29
    Track
    24
    Title
    V. Réjouissance
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Ensemble Masques
    Conductor
    Olivier Fortin