Here’s yet another jewel to add to the crown of Naïve’s Jordi Savall Edition (which currently stands at more than 40 volumes). There’s very little to say about this recording save throwing yet more encomiums Savall’s way: as with his other Bach recordings, this is a success. The warmly dark, coppery sound for which these forces are renowned is here in its full glory; Savall’s pacing is neither frenzied nor laborious; the audio clarity is stunning. Because Savall is such a renowned gamba player who has recruited great fellow string players to his projects (note one Fabio Biondi on violin), you might overlook stellar playing elsewhere in the ensemble. But there’s no way to ignore the wind section in the opening movement in the first suite: the exquisite phrasing and pitch-perfect tones demand to be heard (and heard repeatedly, at that), and the masterful playing becomes even more delightfully apparent in the extended oboe and bassoon solo in the same suite’s Bourée.
The highly exposed, technically demanding flute line of Suite No. 2’s Badinerie seems an easy task in the hands of Marc Hantaï (whose last name links him to that family of admirable musicians–Pierre appears here as well, playing harpsichord). The seemingly effortless yet graceful power of the three trumpeters makes the first movement of the Fourth Suite an event in itself. But the strings shine too; witness the ineffably tender performance of the Third Suite’s famous Air. In a crowded field of fine interpretations (Koopman, Klemperer, etc.), this 1991 version is a standard bearer, and now it’s available at midprice. Hooray!
