The "original Brandenburg concertos" subtitle of this release means less than it seems to suggest; the works have nothing to do with Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, which didn't even have that name until many years after the fact. The connection is that Torelli's concertos here were dedicated, in 1698, to Sophie Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg-Ansbach and eventually the leader honored by the Charlottenburg castle in Berlin. Bach's concertos were dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg, member of another branch of the Prussian ruling line. The big news here is not the Brandenburg connection but the entirely fresh performances of Torelli's Op. 6 concertos.

Marais (1656-1728) was once among the least-known French baroque composers, a specialist in the viole (or viola da gamba), an instrument that was already obsolescent in his lifetime but one that he raised to unprecedented heights of technical finesse and expressive power. Now, since the film "Tous les Matins du Monde," in which his role was taken by Gerard Depardieu, his discography has risen to a full, well-deserved column in the Schwann-Opus catalogue. This beautifully styled recording of three suites and a caprice by the Charivari Agreable trio is a fine addition to his discography.