Described by the Academy of Ancient Music’s chief executive John McMunn as Bach’s “calling card” for the Margrave of Brandenburg, the Brandenburg Concertos are a whistle-stop tour through Baroque styles. They demand huge amounts of balance between soloists and orchestra, as the concertos swell between ferocious ensemble work and delicate technical individual sections. Vivaciously directed by Laurence Cummings from the harpsichord, the AAM’s rendition of all six concertos in one evening at Milton Court was luscious, controlled and nimble. This is a group of dedicated and talented musicians with a comprehensive appreciation for the diverse styles of the pieces and a palpable love for their period instruments.
Cummings acknowledged that – since the Margrave never took Bach up on his calling card – no one knows how the Brandenburg Concertos should be staged. So we had a staging that shifted between each, with the orchestra and even the harpsichord being reset while Cummings enthusiastically explained the pieces.
The first movement of the Concerto no. 1 in F major was probably the weakest, the usually raucous horns sounding tremulous and the winds lacking definition. But the music brought the elegance of the violino piccolo to the fore in an immaculately controlled Adagio, and the textural variety of the Allegro showed off the Academy’s nimble work. By the time the concerto rounded off with a series of dances, the orchestra was in full joyful swing.
The Second swelled expertly from the playfulness of the Allegro to the melancholic languor of the central Andante, with the recorder, oboe, trumpet and violin showing mastery of the solos. The Third in G major was rich and complex, with the string section deftly handling the speedy notation to a rousing finish. Rachel Brown and Rachel Beckett were brilliant on the recorders in the Fourth Concerto, playing perkily over a decisive ripiena and then in a fiddly duet with the violin. This concerto saw the AAM at its finest, with the strings playing ferociously through long sections of intricate composition.
Taking centre stage with the transverse flute and violin, Cummings was effervescent in his harpsichord solo in the Fifth. The trio’s Affettuoso was careful and touching; the jig of the Allegro was vibrant and light. It was a shame that at points in the Fourth and Fifth that we lost some of the solo lines from the traverse flute and recorder, which got slightly lost in ensemble. Treating us to two violas da gamba, and an eight-foot violone, the Academy strings took us through the Sixth with gusto, building majestically and finishing on a high with a devilishly fast Allegro.
The Academy presented all six concertos with verve and talent. Playing a tone lower than normal concert pitch, the ensemble was able to conjure sonorous walls of sound, in a deeper quality than we might be used to – with pleasing effect. These fine pieces were played with real joy.
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