Today Carl Philipp
Emanuel Bach is best known for his compositions for keyboard
solo, and these are indeed the core of his oeuvre. But he also
composed more than fifty concertos for keyboard and orchestra,
more than anyone in music history. Considering their quality
it is rather surprising they aren't often played on the concert
platform. A complete recording is in progress on the Swedish
label BIS, with the Hungarian keyboard player Miklos Spányi
and the Concerto Armonico. But this recording with three of
Bach's keyboard concertos is most welcome nevertheless.
Most of the keyboard
concertos were composed in Berlin, where Bach was appointed
as a member of the court chapel of Frederick the Great. It is
unclear exactly when he started working at the court, probably
1738. It wasn't the most happy time of his life, as he was hardly
appreciated by the King, who preferred Quantz, Hasse and the
brothers Graun. From 1747 onwards Bach tried to find another
job as court or church composer, but to no avail. In 1755 he
was sharply attacked by Christoph Nichelmann, second harpsichordist
at the court, in a book which caused a fierce debate. Although
Bach's complaints led to Nichelmann leaving the court it was
to be no improvement in his relationship with the King. Bach
increasingly mixed with cultural and business circles in Berlin
instead. Another setback was the Seven Years War (1756-1763)
when the King was seldom in Berlin and the economic situation
became difficult. During the war Bach stayed in Zerbst with
the family of Carl Friedrich Fasch (the son of Johann Friedrich),
who had been appointed second harpsichordist at the court in
succession to Nichelmann.
Most of the keyboard
concertos seem intended to be performed in private circles,
probably by Bach himself. The solo parts are not suitable to
be played by amateurs, and only six relatively easy concertos
were published (Hamburg, 1772; Wq 43, H 471-476). Several of
them were reworked years after Bach composed them, and some
exist in two or three versions. The concertos on this disc are
all for keyboard with strings and bass alone.
That is the case
with the first concerto on this disc, which dates from 1755
and which was originally composed for Princess Amalia, sister
of Frederick the Great. She was an avid organist, and owned
a house organ. Bach composed six sonatas for organ for the Princess,
and it is also this instrument for which the solo part of this
concerto was originally intended. Several copies of this concerto
indicate the harpsichord as an alternative. In addition there
is a version for transverse flute (Wq 169, H 445). It is a delightful
concerto and this recording shows that a performance with harpsichord
works very well.
The second concerto
is one of the reworked pieces: the first version dates from
1739, the second - which is played here - from 1762. In this
concerto Rien Voskuilen plays his own cadenzas, as Bach's cadenzas
for this concerto are missing from the manuscript which is preserved
in Brussels, and which has been used for the other concertos
on this disc.
The second movement
of the last concerto - composed in 1750 - is striking because
of its unusual lyricism. The expression in the style of the
'Empfindsamkeit' is absent, and it is also longer than usual:
it is almost as long as the first movement, whereas in the other
concertos the first movement is by far the longest. This concerto
exists in no less than three versions: keyboard, transverse
flute and cello.
Rien Voskuilen and
the orchestra L'arpa festante have grasped the character of
these concertos extremely well. Voskuilen's performance is vigorous
and sensitive. The orchestral playing is vital and the strong
gestures in the tutti are realised very well. Only the acoustics
are less than ideal. This recording has been made in a church,
and there is a little too much reverberation for my taste.
The choice of a
harpsichord rather than a fortepiano is right: it was only in
the 1770s when the fortepiano started to outshine the harpsichord.
I'm not saying that the latest concerto on this disc (C minor,
H 407) can't be played on the fortepiano, but the natural balance
between keyboard and strings supports the choice of the harpsichord
here.
Johan van Veen
L'arpa festante/Rien Voskuilen
(harpsichord)
