Naxos
2003
Various Composers
The Best of Baroque Music
About This Album
While the pieces on The Best of Baroque Music have been trotted out countless times before, the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, led by Helmut Müller-Brühl, turns in refreshing performances that make this disc highly enjoyable. Its even tone and steady playing put this collection above most of the various artists compilations of the major labels, which, in comparison, seem thrown together without much thought toward consistency. Notable, too, is the avoidance of cliché. Obligatory pieces, such as Pachelbel's Canon (regrettably, without the Gigue) and Handel's Largo from Serse, are played fairly authentically and at a reasonable tempo, not like in the slushy romanticized arrangements that are better known. Similarly, the Air from Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 is not sentimentalized beyond recognition. All the pieces benefit from the ensemble's lean sound, which allows counterpoint to be heard in detail. Generous servings of the orchestral music of Bach, Handel, and Telemann give a good idea of their extremely varied output, much better than one or two token samplings ever could. And even the morose Adagio by Remo Giazotto -- long passed off as a work by Albinoni -- gets revamped in fine Baroque style with a faster tempo and a staccato continuo that make it sound interesting, for once. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide
Track List

George Frideric Handel Solomon, Oratorio, HWV 67
1.
Johann Sebastian Bach Orchestral Suite No. 3 In D Major, Bwv 1068
2.
Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067
3.
Concerto For 2 Violins, Strings & Continuo In D Minor ("Double"), BWV 1043
4.
Arcangelo Corelli Concerto Grosso In G Minor ("Christmas Concerto"), Op. 6/8
5.
Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 In F Major, Bwv 1047
6.
George Frideric Handel Largo In F Major, Instrumental Arrangement ("Ombra Mai Fu" From The Opera Serse)
7.
Johann Sebastian Bach Orchestral Suite No. 4 In D Major, BWV 1069
8.
Tomaso Albinoni Concerto à Cinque, For Oboe, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Continuo No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 9/2, (T. 9/2)
9.
Johann Pachelbel Canon And Gigue, For 3 Violins & Continuo In D Major, T. 337
10.
Antonio Vivaldi Piccolo (Flautino) Concerto, for piccolo (or recorder/flute), strings & continuo in C major, RV 443
11.
Georg Philipp Telemann Overture, Suite For 2 Oboes, Bassoon, 2 Violins, Strings & Continuo In D Major ("Darmstadt Overture"), TWV 55:D4
12.
Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings & Continuo No. 5 In F Minor, Bwv 1056
13.
Georg Philipp Telemann Overture, Suite For Recorder (Or Flute), Strings & Continuo In A Minor, Twv 55:a2
14.
15.
Alessandro Marcello Concerto For Oboe, Strings & Continuo In D Minor, SF. 935
16.
Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 In G Major, Bwv 1049
17.
Tomaso Albinoni Adagio, For Violin, Strings & Organ In G Minor, T. Mi 26 (Composed By Remo Giazotto; Not By Albinoni)
18.