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Cello Concerto, H432 Wq170'. Keyboard Concerto, H423 Wq20" Sinfonias—H653 Wq178; H654 Wq179; H648 Wq173 Peter Brims vc bRaphael Alpermann bpd

Akademie flirAlte Musik Berlin Harmonia Mundi ® HMG50 1711 (79' • DDD) From HMC90 1711 (6/01) Enthusiasm and energy make this disc of lesser-known works a worthy reissue

There has been a lot of CPE Bach around just lately, but this 2000 recording, reissued in Harmonia Mundi's anniversary Gold series, manages to avoid the most popular pieces, opting for relatively polite but still strongly characteristic "Berlin" symphonies over the more famous and jagged "Hamburg" ones, and selecting a pair of lesser-known concertos in the fiery A minor for cello (maybe more familiar in its flute version) and an impeccably well behaved example for harpsichord. Unquestionably one of the world's top Baroque orchestras today, the Berlin Alesdemie fir Alte Musilc had back then not quite acquired their current tonal refinement but had no trouble displaying their customary enthusiastic high-energy style and rigorous tight ensemble. The soloists are fine - if a little "modern" in style in Peter Bruns's case -and the recording is clear and bright. Harmonia Mundi's reissue expands the original booklet-note and adds some enhancing colour illustrations - a rare and welcome way round of doing things. Lindsay Kemp