For his recording of Bach's four Orchestral Suites and the Concerto in A minor Andrew Parrott has deserted his Taverner Players for the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra. Readers of these pages may know that I have previously praised individual artists in the orchestra, among them the leader, Elizabeth Blumenstock, the oboist Stephen Hammer and the harpsichordist John Gibbons. Now I am happy, though not in the least surprised, to report that their colleagues achieve comparable standards of excellence; and the chemistry between them and their guest conductor Parrott, appears to have reacted positively.

These performances of the Suites are among the most attractive that have come my way. There is an airiness and a light tread about them which I find irresistible; but, more than that, these players, one to a part, achieve a beautifully balanced ensemble with textures that are so lucid that the listener is able to enjoy details in Bach's writing all too often lost in performances. The First Suite, in C major, which employs harpsichord alone as continuo affords almost countless examples of these deliciously transparent textures, and one need only listen to the second Menuet or the second Bourree, for instance to see what I mean. These, and everything else in the Suite are played with vitality, charm and a sure sense of style, heightened by a sparing though judicious application of ornaments.

Sensibly, Parrott has separated the two D major Suites choosing the Suite No. 3 to follow the C major Suite. Here the oboes, bassoon and strings are joined by trumpets and drums. In the exuberant Overture with its important violin concertante element Parrott sets a brisk, though not too brisk pace, nicely capturing the spirit of the piece. Elizabeth Blumenstock's violin solo is admirable—clearly articulated, effectively phrased and secure in pitch. In the famous "Air" which follows, the two violin strands complement one another evenly and gracefully, and Parrott shapes the movement with affection.

The solo flute in the Suite in B minor is Christopher Krueger. Here, once again, I liked both the choice of tempos and the clarity of line, the sort of clarity which is the product of fine ensemble playing rather than the result of a contrived studio balance. Perhaps I felt the Menuet a shade lacking in finesse. String tuning is a little variable and the basses hurry the quavers leading onto the first half reprise. The Fourth Suite, similarly scored to the Third but with a bassoon and an additional oboe, is among Bach's richest orchestral creations. Parrott's performance is crisply articulated, lively in spirit and enjoyable from start to finish, though I sensed a momentary rhythmic unsteadiness in the dotted opening section of the overture and a feeling of undue hurry in the movement's closing section.

The remaining piece in the programme is Bach's Triple Concerto in A minor for flute, violin, harpsichord and strings. Here, the players involved in the Suites are joined by the violinist Daniel Stepner, a member of the excellent Boston Museum Trio. As in the Suites, Parrott allots one instrument to each part allowing us to enjoy every nuance of Bach's distinctive and delicately wrought texture. Only in the finale did I find the bass strand a little on the heavy side in relation to the other parts; but this did little to spoil my enjoyment of the whole. In summary, a fine release which I recommend strongly and, above all perhaps, for the First Suite and the Concerto.
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