Musical Offering Main Performer or Conductor: Gustav Leonhardt Accompaniment/Orchestra: The Kuijkens/Kohnen Soloists: Barthold Kuijken, transverse flute Sigiswald Kuijken, baroque violin I Marie Leonhardt, baroque violin II Wieland Kuijken, bass viol Robert Kohnen, harpsichord Gustav Leonhardt, solo harpsichord and director Instrumentation: Flute Harpsichord Violin Bass Viol Individual Works: Musical Offering, BWV 1079 Format: Compact Disc Record Label: Sony Classical/Seon Catalog Number: SKB 63189 Year Released/Recorded: 1974 Total Playing Time: 48'04 Comments: Michael Christian Cifone said: A nice addition to one's collection of period-performances of Bach's "Musikalisches Opfer." The performaces are even and freshly articulated, under the direction of the admirable Gustav Leonhardt (with Marie Leonhardt on the baroque violin). The Kuijken's provide characteristic mastery of interpretation, and blend beautifully with Leonhardt's harpsichord playing. Noteworthy is track 9, where Leonhardt performs the great Ricercar a 6. This rendition is emotionally alive, with a moderate tempo allowing the comlexity of the movement to shine through. In general, this performance (recorded in 1974) is not as asthetically intense and technically savy as, say, the performances of the great Musica Antiqua, under Roebel. But nonetheless, the music achieves that plane of musicality necessary to completely expose Bach as the great perennial artist he was. Acknowledgements: Thank you to the following for submitting this recording and for your comments: Michael Christian Cifone Date First Submitted: 04/13/1999 Purchasing: Suggested Purchasing Sources Note: Inclusion in this database does not guarantee the availability of any recording. Some recordings may be out-of-print or no longer available.