Bach, J S: Concerto for Oboe & Violin in C minor, BWV1060

The performers on this recording of popular Bach works are the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and its principals (as the soloists). According to “Gramophone” the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is the best orchestra in the world. In other words: better quality than this you won’t find.

In addition to recording the Bach Violin Concertos with Henryk Szeryng, Neville Marriner and the Academy also recorded two LPs of arrangements (made by Christopher Hogwood) of harpsichord concertos. These colourful arrangements are for oboe, flute and violin in various combinations. They were issued originally on two Argo LPs to great critical acclaim and are here reissued collectively on a 2CD set for the first time in celebration of the Academy’s 50th anniversary this year, these recordings are reissued as part of a series of reissues on Eloquence. Christopher Hogwood’s illuminating notes are included.

First collective reissue of a much-requested set of concertos on CD

A year-long Eloquence celebration of Marriner and the Academy’s recordings for Decca and Philips.

"Across the world thrusting young violinists are two a penny, but there is only Julia Fischer." Geoff Brown, The Times

Julia is one of the fastest rising music stars in the world today. Her first Decca release features some of the most commercial violin repertoire of Bach concertos and will set a new benchmark for Bach recordings.

25-year-old Julia Fischer is already being hailed as one of the truly great violinists of the twenty-first century acclaimed as "Artist of the Year" in the prestigious Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2007 and voted "Best Newcomer" by BBC Music Magazine in 2006. At the age of eleven, Julia Fischer not only carried off the top prize at the 1995 International Yehudi Menuhin Competition (overseen by Lord Menuhin himself) but was awarded a special prize for "Best Bach Solo Work". Her 2006 BBC Music Magazine "Best Newcomer" Award was also given in response to her Bach playing - specifically her complete recording of the solo Sonatas & Partitas, of which the jury said: "There are many recordings of Bach’s works for solo violin but rarely do they reach such breathtaking heights of musicianship as this one.

This unusual recording offers you the chance to look into the ‘composer’s workshop’ with four concertos by Bach: two of them are his own transcriptions of earlier works (the fourth Brandenburg and the Concerto for two violins), while the other two are highly convincing reconstructions of original concertos, still based on Bach’s own transcriptions!