The Brandenburg Consort, Roy Goodman - Favourite Baroque Classics (1992)

Tracklist

01. Te Deum in D Major, H. 146: I. Prelude
02. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air "On the G String"
03. Canon & Gigue in D Major, P. 37
04. Solomon, HWV 67, Act III: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
05. Violin Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 288: Andante
06. Concerto a due cori No. 2, HWV 333: V. Allegro ma non troppo – Adagio
07. Water Music Suite No. 1, HWV 348: X. Allegro in F (Early Version of HWV 349/I)
08. Symphony No. 4 in F Major: III. Gavot
09. The Tempest, Incidental Music: Curtain Tune
10. The Fairy Queen, Z. 629: Rondeau
11. Abdelazar, Z. 570, Suite: II. Rondeau. Hornpipe
12. The Prince of Denmark's March
13. Trio Sonata in G Major: Moderato
14. Concerto grosso No. 4 in D Major, Op. 6/4: IVa. Allegro - IVb. Allegro
15. Oboe Concerto in D Minor, Op. 9 No. 2: II. Adagio
16. Concerto for Viola d'Amore and Lute in D Minor, RV 540: II. Largo
17. Dardanus, RCT 35, Prologue: Menuet tendre en rondeau
18. Les Indes galantes, RCT 44: Rondeau "Air pour les sauvages"
19. Rondeau for Violin, Bassoon & Strings in C Major
20. Concerto grosso No. 12 in G Major: Chaconne
21. Concerto for Recorder and Flute in E Minor, TWV 52:e1: III. Largo
22. Trumpet Concerto in D Major, TWV 51:D7: I. Adagio
23. Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: I. Sinfonia
24. Easter Oratorio "Kommt, eilet und laufet", BWV 249: I. Sinfonia

Over the last thirty years or so there has been an enormous rise in the popularity of Baroque music—that is, broadly speaking, the repertoire composed between 1600 and 1750. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has become a ‘chartbuster’, the Pachelbel Canon and ‘Albinoni’s Adagio’ have individual name slots on the CD shelves (where did you discover this disc?), Bach’s ‘Air on the G string’ provides a soothing backdrop for a famous TV commercial, and Charpentier’s Te Deum spawned the Eurovision theme tune!
The renewed interest in this repertoire has been further enhanced by the use of eighteenth-century instruments, recreating the performance practices of the past in a way which many listeners find both invigorating and refreshing.

Furthermore, the structure of many of these compositions, with a strong foundation on the bass line, regular pulse and repeated rhythmic patterns (and, of course, memorable melodies), has much in common with the popular music of the twentieth century, and the freedom of gesture and ornamentation often brings us close to the world of jazz.

This is especially true of such musical forms as the rondeau—a piece with a recurring tune—and the ground bass, passacaglia and chaconne, which feature prominently on this disc. Naturally the selection here represents a personal choice of ‘Baroque pops’, some already well known, others still to be discovered. All of the items here (except the second) are presented in recordings made especially for this compilation. As you can imagine, this was something of a logistical nightmare, but the layout of the programme has been designed with the listener in mind and the varied sequence has been specifically grouped for continuous listening (if you wish).

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