Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit & 16-bit, FLAC, Harmonia Mundi HMC 902181.82 (supplied by www.eclassical.com)

For these 2013 Freiburg Ensemblehaus recordings of the seven keyboard concertos with strings – BWV1057 more familiar as the Fourth Brandenburg, BWV1054 and 1058 derived from violin concertos – Staier has chosen a modern copy of a 1734 Hass instrument. We also hear a harpsichord continuo in BWV1055/58, and the two recorders in the transcribed Brandenburg, which Bach retained – possibly too forwardly balanced here. Staier’s rippling fingerwork will make you smile, and these players have sharply differentiated one concerto from another. Possibly in the great D-minor you’ll find things a little overdone, so you may prefer the more simply expressed version by the Retrospect Ensemble on Linn CKD 410 [HFN Feb ’13] – 192kHz/24-bit option too. CB

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Recorded at the Teldex Studio in Berlin, this 96kHz download is a clean rendering with a useful dynamic range. The upper harmonics of the period harpsichord reach far higher than the 8-10kHz typical of a fortepiano, etc. PM