Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

October 6, 2013 at PDT

J.S. Bach: St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (Matthäus-Passion)

A rich, spatial sound is just one sterling attribute of this recording of Bach’s more popular Passion. Werner Güra makes for a splendid Evangelist, while the choral work—split between the Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus and Berlin State And Cathedral Choir—is heavenly. Though it wouldn’t be a René Jacobs interpretation if there weren’t a couple of idiosyncrasies (including the choice of lute accompaniment during “Komm, Süßes Kreuz”), the conductor ably manages the difficult task of letting certain sections breathe while keeping the whole work moving with undeniable propulsion.

70 Tracks

September 26, 2007 at PDT

Vivaldi: Double Concertos

18 Tracks

October 19, 1997 at PDT

Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio)

In his 1997 recording of the Christmas Oratorio, René Jacobs imagined Bach in primary colors, an approach backed to the hilt by players and singers who understand the work and care about its meaning. The album’s rich contrasts and myriad details bloom in its compelling Dolby Atmos remastering, underpinned by an enhanced bassline and a sound picture that draws the listener deep into the action. The rebalanced sound, clear yet warm, amplifies the energy and drama of Jacobs’ heartfelt storytelling, as does the enhanced feeling of space between solo voices and instruments. Berlin’s RIAS chamber choir and the ace period-instrument players of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin emerge here as equals in power and presence, exquisitely so in the opening choruses of the work’s first and third cantatas.

65 Tracks

April 20, 2017 at PDT

Telemann: Concerti per molti stromenti

The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, one of the leading period ensembles, takes up the music of Georg Philipp Telemann in this gripping collection of concertos. The music of the late-Baroque prodigy finds a great pairing with the Akademie, who handle his expressive ornamentation and sublime moments of imitation beautifully.

26 Tracks

March 24, 2016 at PDT

Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 (Johannes-Passion) [Deluxe Edition]

The award-winning Flemish conductor interprets one of Bach's great works.

45 Tracks

June 30, 2019 at PDT

Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6, part 1

29 Tracks

January 10, 2011 at PST

Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue)

21 Tracks

December 31, 1996 at PST

Bach: Motets

26 Tracks

January 6, 2022 at PST

Georg Philipp Telemann: Viola Concertos - Overtures - Fantasias

Telemann did much to establish the viola as a solo instrument in its own right. This collection, played gloriously by Antoine Tamestit—with characteristically stylish and imaginative orchestral support from Berlin’s Akademie für Alte Musik—is terrific. Working with a 1672 Stradivarius instrument, mellow of tone and velvety of texture, the French violist digs deep into these glorious pieces, bringing out their nobility as well as their vitality. He’s especially fine in the two solo fantasias and the duo with fellow viola player Sabine Fehlandt. Listening to this album, it’s easy to see why Telemann was so admired by his contemporaries (and friends) Bach and Handel.

33 Tracks

March 21, 2024 at PDT

C.P.E. Bach: Symphonies - From Berlin to Hamburg

Almost immediately after the death of J.S. Bach in 1750, the formal structures of the Baroque era—toccatas, preludes and fugues, and concerti grossi—gave way to freer, more expressive symphonies and sonatas. At the forefront of the drive to the Classical period was Bach’s son, Carl Philip Emmanuel, whose symphonies are full of invention: extremes of dynamics, eccentric phrases, boundless energy, and raw, emotional power. It’s the kind of music that was known also as Empfindsamkeit, that’s to say, full of “sensibility” or emotional sensitivity.

From Track 1, you’ll hear this fiery, freewheeling spirit at play. The music constantly diverts to unexpected places, thrilling one moment, serenely beautiful the next. And because this brilliantly peformed collection is programmed in chronological order, you can chart C.P.E.’s stylistic development from the Handelian Symphony in D Major, H. 651, Wq. 176 of the 1750s to the Sturm und Drang, Haydn-esque intensity of the Symphony in B Minor, H. 661, Wq 182/5, dating from around 1773.

21 Tracks

December 31, 2019 at PST

Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, part 2

32 Tracks

September 27, 2010 at PDT

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte

52 Tracks

February 9, 2014 at PST

C.P.E. Bach: Magnificat, Wq. 215

On the evidence of this incredible choral work, there’s no danger of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach living in the shadow of his father, J. S. Bach. While C. P. E.’s 1749 Magnificat draws on the trumpet-infused, Italianate style of J. S.’s setting composed some 20 years earlier, C. P. E. demonstrates his own musical originality in spades. There are hints of Vivaldian energy and Haydn-esque humor running through the opening movements, but there are moments of real tenderness, too, particularly in the “Suscepit.” This formidable and award-winning performance of the Magnificat is accompanied by the Sinfonie in D Major—a favorite of the composer’s—and another choral work, Heilig ist Gott, scored for double choir. This album is a brilliant opportunity to explore music outside C. P. E. Bach’s better-known keyboard works.

14 Tracks

December 31, 1997 at PST

Bach: Brandenburgische Konzerte

19 Tracks

December 19, 1997 at PST

J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suites

24 Tracks

March 14, 2019 at PDT

J.S. Bach: Violin Concertos

Faust approaches these demanding pieces with stunning vitality and skill.

35 Tracks

August 13, 2020 at PDT

Handel: Concerti grossi, Op. 3

23 Tracks

March 8, 1999 at PST

Handel: Ombra Mai Fù (Airs, scènes célèbres et musique instrumentale)

24 Tracks

October 15, 2020 at PDT

Handel: Messiah

54 Tracks

May 12, 2022 at PDT

Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232

Bach’s collected output may be one of the mainstays of Western music, but the question of how his works are performed remains the subject of fierce debate. His major choral pieces are a case in point. Here, conductor René Jacobs makes a compelling case for mixing things up in the Mass in B Minor, Bach’s late, great masterpiece. Jacobs swaps between smaller and larger forces, depending on the style and mood of the movement. Some of the tempos might surprise: the opening “Kyrie” skips along, while the “Sanctus” puts aside its majestic mantle and all but dances, but it’s all arrestingly performed. 

27 Tracks

February 26, 2004 at PST

J. C. Bach: Symphonies & Concertos

14 Tracks

April 27, 2023 at PDT

Handel: Coronation Anthems

Coronation works by Handel and Croft combine beauty, nobility, and drama.

22 Tracks

December 11, 1997 at PST

J.S. Bach: Suites for Orchestra No. 1 & 3

12 Tracks

May 6, 2021 at PDT

Mozart: Gran Partita - Wind Serenades K. 361 & 375

12 Tracks