Chandos Chaconne's J.C. Bach: Overtures and Symphonies with the
Academy of Ancient Music under
Simon Standage is a direct reissue of the 1993 release J.C. Bach: Overture "Adriano in Siria." It is different from the earlier issue in that this time around Chandos has elected to add cover art that is more attractive and in keeping with the spirit of the music.
The best music here is the
Academy of Ancient Music's loving realization of Bach's Sinfonia Concertante in C major, T. 289/4, where soloists
Rachel Brown (flute),
Frank de Bruine (oboe), and conductor
Standage (violin) combine in pleasing harmony while managing to shine individually. This is exactly what Bach had in mind when he wrote the music, and this performance is to be preferred over the only other recording of the work on Capriccio. The weakest performance on J.C. Bach: Overtures and Symphonies is of the by now familiar Symphony in G minor, Op. 6/6. That is not to say that it is terribly weak, it is just that so many recordings have come down the pike since this one that really capture the fiery spirit of Bach's Symphony in G minor, a rather unusual entry in Christian Bach's output that may have helped inspire Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G minor.
At the time of their initial appearance,
Standage's performances of Johann Christian Bach's orchestral music were considered state of the art, and they are still quite good, but a lot of water has gone under the bridge on this composer's behalf since 1993. In particular the explosive excitement of the
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin's recordings of similar material jolts one out of one's seat, whereas by comparison the
Academy of Ancient Music's performances are rather restrained and well-behaved. The music of Johann Christian Bach, however, is more comparable to that of his friend Mozart than it is to the more turbulent creations of his elder brother, Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, and so one need not raise the roof in order to raise the level of interest. J.C. Bach: Overtures and Symphonies consists of good, securely made performances and yet remains the best option in the Symphonie Concertante.