Bach's Orchestral Suites are not mere 'background music' but demonstrate his superior mastery of composition, with each movement surpassing the mediocrity of common dances.
Performer Biography
Sigiswald Kuijken, the director of La Petite Bande, introduced a historically authentic style of playing the Baroque violin in 1969, holding the instrument on or under the collarbone rather than between the chin and shoulder.
Instruments
The bass group on this recording features the basse de violon, a bass instrument significantly larger than a modern cello, played with an underhand bow grip.
Composition History
Bach reused the Overture of his Fourth Suite in the opening chorus of his Christmas cantata BWV 110, "Unser Mund sei voll Lachens," in such a way that the existing music harmonized perfectly with the text.
Interpretation
This recording uses historical trumpets without vent holes, producing tones from the natural overtone series without mechanical aids, a practice that took years for baroque trumpeters to rediscover.
Composition History
The precise composition dates of Bach's Orchestral Suites are uncertain, though many sources originate from his Leipzig years.
Composer Biography
Bach's complete works can be seen as a 'network' with many missing parts, and precise dating is often questionable.
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