Reviewed by Dave Massey

It is impossible to find fault with the Brandenburg Consort and Roy Goodman as far as Bach is concerned - a case for specialisation. They have managed to go beyond the novelty value associated with performing Baroque music on period instruments to dig down to the thinking and intent behind the music and to perform it with authentic soul as well as body. Although many of Bach's concertos were used in part in a church setting, these days there is almost an aversion to instrumental music in church - possibly a product of the present fast-food age in which our mouths have become disconnected from our minds and there is no longer time for meditation before worship. On this recording are Bach's four orchestral suites, No 1 in C, No 2 in B minor and Nos 3 and 4 in D, played with depth and spirit with the inherent joy that bubbles beneath most of Bach's works.

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