The concertos for harpsichord and strings constitute a part of Bach's
oeuvre
which has been the subject of many musicological investigations. The
reason
is that neither of them was originally conceived for this scoring. They
are
arrangements of concertos which Bach had written in either Cöthen or
Weimar
and which he adapted for performances during public concerts in Leipzig.
Since
the original versions have been lost musicologists have speculated about
their
scoring. Attempts have been made to reconstruct them, and these
reconstructions
have also been recorded. In the end these are the result of much
speculation
and many assumptions. The versions for harpsichord are the only ones which
are
authentic for sure.
There is no lack of recordings of these concertos, both on harpsichord and
on
piano. The accompaniment varies from one instrument per part to a
full-blown
chamber orchestra. The present disc is the first of two with the six
concertos
BWV 1052 - 1057. There are several features of these interpretations which
make
them an interesting addition to the discography, independent of their
artistic
qualities.
First of all a performer has to establish the version he wants to use. The
concertos
have come down to us in an autograph score, but this has undergone several
corrections,
"sometimes to the point of illegibility", Aapo Häkkinen writes in his
liner-notes.
"We have done our best to establish the "final" variants of all these
instances".
This had its most obvious effect in the Concerto BWV 1056. In the
autograph
score it is in the key of F minor, but in Bach's revised version it was
transposed
to G minor. Häkkinen expresses his surprise that the Neue
Bach-Ausgabe
used the latest revision as its primary source, but transposed it back to
F
minor. As a result that is the version one is used to hear in previous
recordings.
This is probably the first recording in G minor.
The second aspect concerns the choice of the harpsichord. In recent times
musicologists
and performers have shown great interest in the phenomenon of the
harpsichord
with a 16' register. Several recordings with music by in particular Bach
have
been released in which such a harpsichord was used. These were confined to
music
for keyboard solo. The present disc is the first in which the 16' is used
in
keyboard concertos. In my reviews on previous recordings I have expressed
my
skepticism towards the use of a 16', for musical reasons but also because
it
seemed to me not quite clear how common such instruments were in Bach's
time.
In his extensive liner-notes Aapo Häkkinen discusses this subject and
refers
to various books and articles which seem to lead to the conclusion that
such
instruments were indeed rather common. So I probably should overcome my
scepticism
and accept it as a plausible option. Even so, whether Bach himself indeed
performed
the harpsichord concertos on such an instrument remains a matter of
speculation.
The scoring of the instrumental ensemble with one instrument per part, as
in
this recording, is not new. The first complete recording of the
harpsichord
concertos on period instruments, by Gustav Leonhardt, already practised
this
scoring. He used a double-bass in the ensemble, and that instrument is
omitted
here, on the basis of musicological research. Here the ensemble includes a
violone
as a rule playing at 8' pitch, in order to reinforce the tuttis. Leonhardt
-
and most later interpreters - omitted an additional keyboard instrument
for
the basso continuo. Häkkinen uses an organ in his ensemble. He states
that
positive organs and portable chest organs were common at the time. Because
of
the fact that a harpsichord was sometimes used in sacred music "the idea
of
a continuo organ in harpsichord concertos does not seem far-fetched".
Among
all the interesting ideas in this recording this one seems to me the least
convincing.
I don't see the need for an organ when the harpsichord - which is also
involved
in the tuttis - is played with a 16' stop.
I have to admit that I needed to get used to the sound which the ensemble
and
the harpsichord produce here. As I have noticed in previous recordings of
a
harpsichord with 16' register the descant seems to be a little dull and
lack
presence. This impression was corfirmed here, in particular in the
Concerto
in d minor, although my experience was a bit more positive when I
listened
for a second time. It is probably a matter of perception, caused by the
fact
that the lower part of the harpsichord is much stronger. I still don't
like
the sound very much, though. But if this is indeed the way Bach wanted his
concertos
to be played, so be it. Aapo Häkkinen delivers good performances of
the
solo part. I am less enthusiastic about the strings. I don't find their
performances
always very subtle; especially in the D minor Concerto their
playing
is sometimes too abrasive, even rude. The tempi of the Concerto in
E
are surprising: the opening allegro is rather moderate, and as a result
there
is hardly a difference in tempo between this movement and the following
siciliano.
As a kind of bonus we get the Italian Concerto, which is part of
the
Clavier-Übung II. It makes sense to choose this piece, as we
have
here a solo concerto with soli and tutti played on a single instrument. In
the
fast movements we hear the harpsichord with its 16' stop in full fling. It
certainly
results in a highly dramatic performance, but I am not sure whether it
would
make less impression without the 16'. Interestingly Aapo Häkkinen
uses
a harpsichord which was owned by the late Igor Kipnis, built in 1970 after
an
original instrument by Johann Adolph Hass of 1760.
Whatever one's assessment of the artistic merits of this disc, it
certainly
is an intriguing contribution to the Bach discography.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Masterwork Index: Bach keyboard concertos
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Aapo Häkkinen (harpsichord) 