Bach: Violin Concertos. Kennedy, violin; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243-5-57091-2-7.

Bach: Violin Concertos. Kennedy, violin; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243-5-57091-2-7.

I still prefer Bach played on original instruments, but if you're looking for vigorous performances of the two Bach violin concertos on modern instruments, with the addition of the concertos for oboe and violin and for two violins, this may just be the ticket. Violinist Kennedy is ably supported by a small contingent of the Berlin Philharmonic in renditions that border on the frenetic but deliver much lively enjoyment.

Something is made in the booklet insert of Bach being a bit of a rebel himself, especially in his youth, I suppose to establish some connection between the composer and Kennedy, who fancies himself an outsider. The connection doesn't amount to much, and one could hardly say that the violin concertos are out of the mainstream. But Kennedy's vibrant and often tumultuous playing does take them out of the ordinary. The middle movements of each work offer more repose than one normally associates with them, thanks largely to the energy that surrounds them.

The Berlin players, a greatly reduced force, are without leader but are recorded in one of their favorite venues, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem. The sound is not particularly three-dimensional, but it does have a good left-to-right spread and it does sparkle. EMI have been more successful, I think, than DG in obtaining a natural sound from the location, DG's efforts often seeming harder and brighter. Not that the new recording, made in January of 2000, is without a degree of brightness itself, but at least it's smooth. Now, if I could only get over the affectation of Nigel Kennedy dropping his first name, or his resemblance to Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious in "Sid and Nancy," I could probably enjoy his music making even more.