These pieces have been treated fairly well on disc, but no other performances surpass those of Andrew Manze and his orchestra, who simply have tremendous fun with Bach's uniquely personable creations, highlighting and enlivening every twist and turn, start and stop, reveling in moments where, say, a driving tutti is suddenly interrupted by a delicate flute duet. In the concerto, Alison McGillivray's confident, dynamic cello work is complemented by her instrument's rich, warm tone (tuned a whole step lower than in Miklós Perényi's brighter but equally lovely rendition from the early 1990s--for a review, type Q2249 in Search Reviews). And again, the slow movement is an unforgettable highlight. (Incidentally, for those who pay attention to such things, the packaging contains a timing error for the slow movement of Symphony No. 4--it's short by about three minutes.)

In sum, this is a disc that's easy to recommend for its consistently engaging music and first-rate performances--but it's also a recording that you can turn way up and enjoy full-bodied, undistorted, viscerally present instrumental sound. A winner! [9/7/2006]