JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Orchestral Suites Nos.1-4 Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

Called ʻOuvertürenʼ in Germany, because they began with a large-scale overture à la française, Bach's Suites for orchestra offer a unique synthesis of the French and the Italian styles. The Kantor of Leipzig did not content himself with a mere set of amiable dances for his Collegium Musicum: he renewed the genre in his own manner, accenting the contrasts, refining the orchestration, and introducing a hitherto unknown contrapuntal element. Two centuries later these admirable orchestral works continue to represent an indispensable treasure of the Baroque.
This title was released for the first time in 1996.