Conducting J. S. Bach isn’t Abbado’s usual activity. But he buckles to it with joy, humanity and an Italianate slant that turns these cornerstone suites into outpourings of instrumental song. The players are the all-star Orchestra Mozart, with Giuliano Carmignola the demon lead fiddler, caught live in 2007. First out as a DVD, the CD retains the applause, which may bother some. No complaints about the music’s flow, or the dance of colours from solo strings, winds and trumpet.
(Deutsche Grammophon; out now)