There probably isn't a recording anywhere of
Johann Sebastian Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos that can match the breakneck speeds of the performances by early music specialist
Marek Stryncl and his virtuoso period ensemble
Musica Florea. In cases where a jaunty Allegro or Allegro moderato can be assumed,
Stryncl opts for Presto, or even Prestissimo, apparently with sound scholarship to back up his choices. This may be a legitimate Baroque practice (lay listeners could not know otherwise, without access to
Stryncl's research), but there is a point where the rapid tempos will seem unduly hasty and become irritating to anyone who wants to linger over such niceties as instrumental color, articulation, harmony, and counterpoint. The rat-a-rat delivery often makes the fast movements seem mechanical and relentlessly uniform in effect, and subtleties of expression are frequently lost in the headlong race to the double bar. Slow movements are somewhat easier to appreciate, though the walking tempo
Stryncl adopts for the Adagio may strike some as too quick and in some instances just shy of Moderato. But because these performances are quite fast and outside the mainstream of most interpretations, they are not recommended for anyone coming to the Brandenburgs for the first time, but only for people who know these works well and can appreciate their exceptional vigor. Supraphon's recording is crisp and clean, in keeping with the efficiency of the playing, though sufficiently resonant to give the ensemble a nice luster.