Album

Listeners who already know Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan from their recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, violin concertos, cantatas, and Passions will know what to expect from their recording of Bach's overtures. For those listeners unfamiliar with Suzuki and the BCJ, what they can expect is bright, light, lively, and loving performances of superior virtuosity and impeccable lucidity. They can expect brilliant string playing, emphatic brass playing, impressive tympani playing, and, in the Third Suite, stunning flauto traverso playing. They can expect incisive tempos, clear textures, clean counterpoint, and joyous interpretations. They can also expect the occasionally odd rhythmic accents—where did the offbeat accents come from in the Third Ouverture's Menuet?—and, every so often, a certain sense of superficiality—the Fourth Ouverture's happiness is unfeigned but sometimes seems a shade shallow. But, for listeners who don't already know Suzuki and the BCJ's work, the set is a splendid place to start. BIS' super audio sound puts the BCJ right in your living room.

© James Leonard, Rovi

CD 1 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Orchestral Suite No.3 in D, BWV1068 (includes 'Air on the G String') Work 23:24 Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra Ensemble, Masaaki Suzuki Conductor
1	1.Overture	10:19			$1.99
2	2.Air ('On the G String')	4:41			$0.99
3	3.Gavotte 1 and 2	4:26			$0.99
4	4.Bourrée 1 and 2	1:10			$0.99
5	5.Gigue	2:48			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Orchestral Suite No.1 in C, BWV1066 Work 26:34 Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra Ensemble, Masaaki Suzuki Conductor
6	1.Overture	10:01			$1.99
7	2.Courante	2:21			$0.99
8	3.Gavotte 1 and 2	3:48			$0.99
9	4.Forlane	1:19			$0.99
10	5.Menuet 1 and 2	3:27			$0.99
11	6.Bourrée 1 and 2	2:32			$0.99
12	7.Passepied 1 and 2	3:06			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Orchestral Suite No.2 in B-, BWV1067 Work 24:03 Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra Ensemble, Masaaki Suzuki Conductor, Liliko Maeda Transverse Flute
13	1.Overture	10:41			$1.99
14	2.Rondeau	1:52			$0.99
15	3.Sarabande	2:53			$0.99
16	4.Bourrée 1 and 2	2:05			$0.99
17	5.Polonaise. Double	3:52			$0.99
18	6.Menuet	1:17			$0.99
19	7.Badinerie	1:23			$0.99
CD 2 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Orchestral Suite No.4 in D, BWV1069 Work 23:55 Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra Ensemble, Masaaki Suzuki Conductor
1	1.Overture	12:21			$1.99
2	2.Bourrée 1 and 2	2:55			$0.99
3	3.Gavotte 1 and 2	1:57			$0.99
4	4.Menuet 1 and 2	4:11			$0.99
5	5.Réjouissance	2:31			$0.99