Bach: Sinfonia is a 2011 collection of instrumental music drawn from the cantatas of
J.S. Bach, performed on original instruments by Italian period ensemble
Accademia Bizantina. Many of these sinfonias, sonatas, and concertos are famous in different contexts, because
Bach was adept at recycling his music for other occasions and instrumentation. As a result, listeners who are unfamiliar with any of the cantatas still may recognize the Sinfonia from Cantata 29 as essentially the same music as the Prelude of the Partita No. 3 in E major for violin; the Sinfonia from Cantata 156 as the Arioso from the Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor; the Sinfonia from Cantata 52 as the opening movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major; and so on. The ensemble plays with the characteristically bright sound of a Baroque orchestra, with pungent woodwinds, bold brass and timpani, resonant strings that are played without vibrato, a basso continuo of harpsichord and cello, and prominent parts for solo organ. The interpretations by director
Ottavio Dantone are fresh and imaginative, and not without touches of spontaneity and humor in ornamentation and expression. Decca's reproduction is clear and reverberant, and the physicality of the playing comes through in the crisp attacks and boisterous counterpoint.