There are those for whom playing Bach's Goldberg Variations on anything but a harpsichord is an aesthetic sin. The work, they argue, was written to be played on the harpsichord and any other instrument is simply wrong. Then there are those for whom playing the Goldberg Variations on anything but a modern piano is an aesthetic mistake. The work, they contend, may have been written to be played on the harpsichord, but that is no reason to deny the music the clarity and power of the modern concert grand.

Stone Records is delighted to announce the release of its first organ recital disc, the much-loved Goldberg Variations, performed by internationally-renowned organist Robert Costin. The organ used for this performance is that of Pembroke College, Cambridge, a modern reconstruction of a period instrument dating from 1708 that has been widely used for Bach performances.

The Flemish Baroque orchestra B'Rock was founded in 2005 by harpsichordist, composer and conductor Frank Agsteribbe and double bass player Tom Devaere. The orchestra is located in Ghent. B'Rock started out of a desire for renewal and rejuvenation in the world of early music. B'Rock is an internationally orientated group without a permanent conductor or artistic leader.

The superb sound quality perfectly complements and supports Martzy's playing, which is thoroughly in the deep-and-involving end rather than the daring-and-scintillating end. There is not a sprung rhythm to be found. This is not Bach with a light touch. Vibrato is plentiful and beautiful. Movements end with "OK, I'm ending now!" ritardandos, which, however, are so well judged as to feel inevitable. Tone is gorgeous, technique assured to the point of transparency. The rhythms are 100% 1st-half-of-20th-century, and in that context are expressive and live.

As a child, Antoine Tamestit studied the violin, but at age 10, he fell in love with the six unaccompanied Cello Suites of J.S. Bach and immediately wanted to switch to the cello. His teacher advised him that playing that instrument would involve learning a completely new technique, so he was allowed to switch instead to the viola. Thus, Tamestit was able to play the suites as arranged for his present instrument, and because the viola has the tuning of C-G-D-A, Bach's originals have been transposed up an octave.

Isaac Stern's influence will linger with violinists for many years, and his recorded legacy will endure as Sony finds new ways to repackage his extraordinary body of work. This Masterworks Expanded Edition consists of analog and digital recordings made between 1964 and 1996; except for the bonus track, this 2004 reissue corresponds to the second disc in the 2002 set, "In Tribute and Celebration." Schubert's Piano Trio in B flat major, which Stern performs brilliantly with cellist Leonard Rose and pianist Eugene Istomin, is the oldest recording here, but it is more enjoyable than it was on LP because the sound has been substantially improved through careful remastering.

That's all that needs to be said! You should buy this album if you like bach, if you like brass, if you like piano. This is a magnificant performance of an excellent transcription. It explores the rich warm textures of the Canadian Brass without compromising the original ideas that bach wrote. It was recorded in a huge church, so at the very end the last full chord seems to drift upward until it completely fades! If you like classical transcriptions and arrangements for brass quintet, you more than likely have a lot of exciting, fast-paced albums in your collection. For a change of pace, buy this album - you won't be disappointed.

The very short list of credits on this Warner Classics release includes Russian American cellist Nina Kotova and producer Adam Abeshouse, who delivers a very closely miked sound in the frequently used Performing Arts Recital Hall of Purchase College on Long Island, New York. But perhaps the uncredited star on this set of Bach's Six Suites for solo cello is Kotova's 1679 Stradivarius instrument, which Kotova exploits to the maximum.

Hermann Scherchen's performances of these Brandenburg Concerts avoids the normally expected exaltation of opening and closing movements conferred by most performances. Instead, he opts for a beautifully serene approach to the score, making it more reflective, thoughtful and expansive, hightlighting the lyrical flow that emanates from it.

Truls Mørk, you have to admit, is a very cool name for a cellist. A native of Norway, Mørk is a cellist whose tone ranges from intimate pianissimos to immense fortissimos without ever losing its essential combination of passionate lyricism and cool lucidity, a cellist whose interpretations range from blissful joy to endless despair without every losing its fundamental balance of total dedication and cool objectivity, a cellist, in short, who lives up to his name.

Le grand Janos Starker a enregistré les Suites de Bach à plusieurs reprises. Rien d'étonnant à cela puisqu'elles sont le bréviaire de tout violoncelliste. A chaque fois son engagement est total et sa réalisation à l'image de son art sobre, à la limite de l'ascétisme. Nul débordement romantique sous son archet, mais une lecture littérale avec beaucoup de respect voire de distance. Une option radicale qui peut étonner mais que nous trouvons tout à fait fascinante.

That said, Anner Bylsma's disc gets a great deal more playing time. The timbre of the piccolo cello is ideally matched with the organ. While purists may balk at such unusual instrumentation, I cannot help but think such an experiment is quite in keeping with the spirit of Baroque era practices. In general, I try not to judge the success of a recording by a preconceived idea of what a musical elite would or would not approve of.

Christophe Rousset's performances as a harpsichordist have attracted the attention of the international press as well as record companies. A member of 'Les Arts Florissants', then I'l Seminario Musicale', he finally embarked on a career as a music director, which led his to the form his own ensemble, 'Les Talents Lyriques', in 1991. This recording marks the beginning of a collaboration between Christophe Rousset and Ambroisie, especially with Bach.

The symphonic works featured on this 2CD set all come from a period during the second half of the eighteenth century that has come to be known as the “Age of Enlightenment” when Frederick the Second ruled over Prussia. Alongside acknowledged masterpieces by Mozart and Haydn, the program also includes pieces by Hasse, Graun and C.P.E Bach that are receiving their first ever recording. The music is performed by the rising stars of the Austrian Chamber Group “Modern Times_1800”.