In May of 1747, Bach was visiting Frederick II, the King of Prussia. Frederick played a theme for Bach in C minor which the King himself reportedly composed. After listening to Frederick play the theme, Bach promised to compose a set of variations on the theme for Frederick; it's good to keep Frederick happy. So, Bach did his composing and the results were sent to Berlin from Leipzig. Unfortunately, these results were sent in random order. Hence, there has always been quite a bit of debate and research as to the correct order of the Musical Offering BWV 1079. It's reasonable to say that Bach's Musical Offering consists of 16 movements, assuming that each movement of the trio sonata is counted as 1. But what order to use? There are two Ricercari, and noted scholar Ursula Kirkendale reconstructed the work by breaking it down into two sections with each Ricercar introducing a section. I like this reconstruction and will review the Musical Offering using its order. The following recordings are provided for your consideration: Arte Resoluta - Arion 68526 (2000) - Renata Spotti on violin, Ben Sansom on violin & viola, Lorenzo Brondetta on flauto traverso, Giovanna Barbati on cello, and Fabio Bonizzoni on harpsichord & organ. Gustav Leonhardt, Director - Pro Arte 009 (1974) - Sigiswald Kuijken & Marie Leonhardt on violin, Wieland Kuijken on viola da gamba, Barthold Kuijken on flauto traverso, and Robert Kohnen & Gustav Leonhardt on harpsichord. Harmonia Mundi 2951260 (1987) - John Holloway on violin, Jaap ter Linden on cello, Janet See on flauto traverso, and Davitt Moroney & Martha Cook on harpsichord. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77307 (1994) - Sigiswald Kuijken on violin, Wieland Kuijken on viola da gamba, Barthold Kuijken on flauto traverso, and Robert Kohnen on harpsichord. Ensemble Sonnerie - Virgin 45139 (1994) - Monica Huggett on violin, Sarah Cunningham on viola da gamba, Pavlo Beznosiuk on violin & viola, Wilbert Hazelzet on flute, Paul Goodwin on various oboes, Frances Eustace on bassoon, and Gary Cooper on harpsichord. Music from Aston Magna, Daniel Stepner Directing - Centaur 2295 (1995) - Daniel Stepner & Linda Quan on violins & violas, Laura Jeppesen on viola da gamba, Christopher Krueger on baroque flute, and John Gibbons on fortepiano. Hanssler 92133 (1999) - Gottfried von der Goltz & Martin Jopp on violin, Ekkehard Weber on viola da gamba, Karl Kaiser on flute, and Michael Behringer on harpsichord and fortepiano. Tatiana Nikolayeva - Hyperion 66631/2 (1992) - The two Ricercari coupled with Art of Fugue and the Four Duets. Florilegium - Channel Classics 14598 (2000) - Ricercar A 6 & trio sonata from Musical Offering coupled with Trio Sonatas BWV 1037 thru 1039 - Rachel Podger on violin and viola, Lucy Russell on violin, Daniel Yeadon on cello and viola da gamba, Ashley Solomon on flute and recorder, Andrew Crawford on flute, and Neal Peres da Costa on harpsichord and organ. Trio Sonatas constitute the remainder of the disc's playing time. The above recordings are essentially complete except for Nikolayeva and Florilegium. I am including these two for performances I have thought very highly of in the past and definitely want to listen to again. The Ricercar A 3 has fugal passages which are built on improvisatory lines alternating with virtuoso passages. At one point, the two halves of the theme are playing at the same time. It's all tightly organized and a marvel to investigate and even more astounding as to its supreme level of musical invention. All reviewed versions use a solo instrument. Aston Magna's John Gibbons and Hanssler's Michael Behringer play fortepiano and give fine performances of urgency and quickness. Gary Cooper for Ensemble Sonnerie is rather surface-bound. Harmonia Mundi's Davitt Moroney is fast and sometimes sounds rushed; I must admit that he conveys a highly improvisatory atmosphere. Arte Resoluta's Fabio Bonizzoni, Pro Arte's Gustav Leonhardt, DHM's Robert Kohnen, and Tatiana Nikolayeva deliver outstanding readings. Bonizzoni's performance has urgency written all over it, Leonhardt provides the inevitability which makes him such a masterful Bach artist, Kohnen gives a fabulous legato-based interpretation, and Nikolayeva is very slow with wonderful lyricism. Each of these four performances recognizes that there's a great deal of poetry in the Ricercar A 3. Next is the Perpetual Canon also referrred to as the Narratio Brevis. The function of this Canon is to provide a brief synopsis of the materials forming the basis of the Musical Offering. The Canon's first part is in crotchets while the second and contrasting part depends on quavers, semi-quavers, etc. It's a short piece lasting from 1 to 2 minutes. Arte Resoluta prefers the 2 minute performance, but I can't agree. Their reading is so serious and dour at this slow tempo; further, using a cello instead of the harpsichord obviously enhances the negativity. Aston Magna replaces a cello with the viola da gamba; seriousness is not less strong than with Arte Resoluta. However, this ensemble takes a quick pace and is much more enjoyable. Also fast, the Hanssler version uses the harpsichord instead of a stringed instrument and is much brighter in mood than either Aston Magna or Arte Resoluta; it's the perfect contrast with Aston Magna. The Harmonia Mundi version takes a different tack and presents two harpsichords. Moroney and Cook are of average tempo, quite serious, and very lyrical with an urgency which is always lurking at center stage. Ensemble Sonnerie isn't content with two or three instruments; they employ six including the bassoon and oboe but no harpsichord. Also, the preformance exceeds 2 minutes. Is it dour? Does it drag? Not at all. The piece begins with just the oboe da caccia giving a little introduction; it's a stunning entrance. The remainder of the performance is rhythmically alert and incisive. Leonhardt's reading includes the harpsichord but is still mighty serious and effective. The DHM issue employs violin, flute, and viola da gamba in a relatively quick and appropriately melancholy reading. Of the seven versions, only Arte Resoluta fails to satisfy. After additional listenings, my favorite readings come from Ensemble Sonnerie (serious & diverse), the Hanssler issue (alert & optimistic), and the two-harpsichord version from Harmonia Mundi (serious & urgent). Now we have a series of five Canons sometimes known as Narratio Longa. Each Canon presents a different idea that corresponds to one of the five elements of oratory; I never thought I'd have to ponder oratory when listening to music, but live and learn. The first of these canons is called the Crab Canon. It's for two voices with one taking the forward route and the other beginning at the end and going backwards. It's considered to elicit the imagery of a crab moving from side to side, and its bouncing rhythm adds to the effect. Ensemble Sonnerie does the Crab Canon proud. Using violin, oboe, bassoon, and viola da gamba, their performance is delightfully alert, diverse, and perfectly executed. Aston Magna finishes off the Canon in well under a minute, using just two violins. It is quick and fairly exciting, but it's also over immediately and gives little opportunity for the listener to investigate its structure. Arte Resoluta also employs only the two violins, but their performance has more substance than Aston Magna. More important, they invest the piece with a haunting quality that's irresistable. For DHM, Robert Kohnen takes center stage with a harpsichord solo that's urgent and lyrical. There is little bounce or imagery of a crab, but the performance wins my heart regardless. Harmonia Mundi's Davitt Moroney has solo honors in the Crab Canon and sounds so different from Kohnen; he's much quicker with plenty of bounce and rhythmic alertness. A different set of instruments comes from the Hanssler issue - violin & harpsichord; it's effective, but I don't feel it's one of the best combinations. Leonhardt's crab may not be very exuberant but it's certainly a determined little critter; I love this harpsichord performance. Overall, I find that the Crab Canon is excellently served by Leonhardt, Moroney, Arte Resoluta, and Ensemble Sonnerie. The DHM and Hanssler issues are fine listening experiences, but Aston Magna just zooms by too fast. The second in the series of five Canons is the 'Canon for two violins in unison'. Dialogue is the foundation for this Canon, going from strong personality to a pleading one. The Hanssler issue uses two violins and viola da gamba; the performance is outstanding as full conversation is conveyed as well as great urgency provided by the violins. Harmonia Mundi employs violin and harpsichord in a slow reading which does drag a little. Arte Resoluta has two violins and cello; the performance is quick but made too heavy by the cello which I found aggravating. Aston Magna presents two violins and viola da gamba in a quick performance, but not rushed as is their Crab Canon. It's very good and rather similar to the Hanssler reading; however, the Hanssler's violins are more deliciously piercing. Leonhardt's interpretation with violins and harpsichord is also very good and at the level of Aston Magna. Ensemble Sonnerie continues its instrumental diversity with the violins, harpsichord, and flute. The credits say that it's a bassoon, but I hear a flute. As for the performance, it's a fine one but I don't think the flute adds much to the proceedings. Another good reading comes from the DHM issue using violin and harpsichord; unlike with the Harmonia Mundi version, the performance is quick and bouyant. So the Hanssler version is my favorite with Arte Resoluta and Harmonia Mundi holding up the rear. The third Canon in the series is the 'Canon in contrary motion'. One of its basic features is the surface element of simplicity. Arte Resoluta uses violin, viola, and flute. It's a nice reading but somewhat dour. The Hanssler issue, with same instrumentation as Arte Resoluta, is more vibrant and strongly projected; I think that's advantageous. The DHM version has Barthold Kuijken on flute and Robert Kohnen on harpsichord doing the honors; this version is as dour as Arte Resoluta. It's back to flute and strings with Aston Magna; the strings are incisive and a joy to listen to. Overall, the performance is just as lively as the Hanssler and has those wonderful strings to make it a splendid version. Leonhardt uses flute and harpsichord in a fine reading which avoids sounding stale or dour. The Harmonia Mundi version with two harpsichords is great for digging into the architecture and fully up to the standards of Aston Magna. Ensemble Sonnerie's six instruments certainly provide a lively Canon although I think the mix of instruments is not the best for this piece. My two favorite versions have to be the Harmonia Mundi's two-harpsichord performance and Aston Magna. The fourth Canon in the series is the 'Canon in augmentation and contrary motion'. I've been using "dour" quite a bit, and it applies well to Aston Magna; the group uses strings and fortepiano. I don't find the fortepiano to do anything but drag the performance further into a slow-motion and too heavy reading. Similar comments apply to Arte Resoluta which employs violins and cello. It's just strings for the Leonhardt version which is much more incisive and demonstrative than Aston Magna. Those fine virtues on display in the Leonhardt are magnified in the DHM version for violin and harpsichord; the violin rings out strongly and beautifully. The Hanssler is also on violin and harpsichord. Although the violin is not as strong as in the DHM performance, it is more expressive and best brings out the beauty and longing in the music. This is a wonderful interpretation. Harmonia Mundi continues with the two harpsichord regimen, but this time there's no magic coming from Moroney and Cook; the reading is rather severe. Ensemble Sonnerie again uses six instruments in a slow performance; the instrumentation is a good match here. Ultimately, I find the Hanssler version easily being the finest of the group. The last Canon in the series is the 'modulating Canon'. Arte Resoluta employs violin, viola, and cello. It's a very dark and mysterious reading. Hanssler offers violins and harpsichord in a slower performance than Arte Resoluta which is equally incisive. Aston Magna goes with strings only and they are deliciously pungent and expressive. In a slow reading, Leonhardt's harpsichord and violin version is very dignified and noble but somewhat compressed and polite; it needs more spunk. It's Moroney and Cook again for Harmonia Mundi and they hit on all cylinders with an inevitable quality; the reading has great beauty and depth. The DHM version uses violin and harpsichord in a slow performance matching the quality of Moroney and Cook. Sigiswald Kuijken's violin playing is stunning and more incisive than any other version. Ensemble Sonnerie bests it previous instrumental diversity by using nine instruments. Every instrument can well be tracked as to its activities and connections to the other instruments; the group opens up this Canon more than the other versions and joins Moroney/Cook and the DHM version as the most rewarding. Closing out the first section is the three-part Canonic Fugue which has an uplifiting quality greater than in the previous Canons. Arte Resoluta on violin, flute, and cello does deliver the optimism but they are rather subtle about it. The Hanssler issue replaces the cello with viola da Gamba; the performance is quicker and more positive than Arte Resoluta but displays less depth. Ensemble Sonnerie gears down with just four instruments (violin, flute, viola da gamba, and harpsichord). It starts off great with a solo harpsichord, but the flute is too far forward for my tastes and eventually becomes tiresome. Aston Magna's violin and fortepiano version leaves me flat; it sounds a little like a run-through. The DHM performance is on flute and harpsichord with both instruments in fine proportion to one another. The reading is very expressive and as good as the Arte Resoluta. Leonhardt's performance on violin and harpsichord conveys little optimism. More two harpsichord music from Moroney and Cook is enjoyable but sounds somewhat rushed. Update: What most strkes me from listening to the reviewed recordings is the extent of differentiation in instrumentation. This along with the generally high quality of performances means that there should be a good version for all tastes. Currently, I have the DHM issue with three Kuijken brothers and Robert Kohnen with a very small advantage over the other versions which are all close behind except for Aston Magna which has been rather dour on occasion. Ensemble Sonnerie is shaping up as an excellent version for those who favor instrumental variety, and the Harmonia Mundi recording looks great for those preferring a prevalence of harpsichord performances. The Hanssler issue is also looking mighty fine, particularly in the Canons. Arte Resoluta was excellent in Ricercar A 3 but took a downward slide in the Canons. In Part 2, Florilegium will finally come to the table with the Ricercar A 6 and the Trio Sonata; Nikolayeva also provides the Ricercar A 6. Concerning my personal preferences, I see the Musical Offering creating the danger that the performers will emphasize its melancholy nature to the detriment of the other facets of the work. Mostly, that hasn't happened in the review process; only Aston Magna and Arte Resoluta have veered in that direction occasionally. Don Satz [log in to unmask]