In
this 17th volume of C.P.E. Bach’s complete solo keyboard music,
we have the second of the six “Wurtemberg” sonatas, three-movement
works typical of this Bach’s solo output and this period. The
three sonatas are similar in structure and length, and all contain
first movements that are much longer than the others - in the
second sonata, the opening movement is longer than the remaining
two movements.
The
first of these, the B flat major sonata, opens with “galant”
elements, and delightful melodic turns that are attractive and
witty. The second movement, a fugue - all three of the sonatas
on this disc contain fugal movements - recalls some of Johann
Sebastian Bach’s fugues, though the son is far less complex.
In fact, given the slowness of this movement, it sounds like
a relatively easy fugue to play; something one cannot say for
many of the father’s fugues. One appreciates this fugue more
for its melodies than for its intricacy. Finally, the closing
movement of this first sonata recalls the lightness of the first
movement, and contains some of the younger Bach’s famous pauses;
the liner-notes call them “pregnant pauses”, and they are a
hallmark of this Bach’s keyboard music. This freedom of rhythmic
structure is part of what sets C.P.E. Bach’s music apart; one
can hear these works as improvisations written down, and Miklós
Spányi’s performances reinforce this impression. One always
gets a sense of immediacy and spontaneity when listening to
these recordings.
The
remaining two sonatas are similar in structure to the 4th, with
the 5th beginning somewhat in the form of a French overture
with a long (almost 12-minute) movement full of attractive melodies
and loose rhythms. The fugue in the second movement is slow
and simple, and the final movement again has a French sound,
with lilting rhythms and melodies that often jump intervals.
The 6th sonata stands out for its long opening movement, with
sweeping arpeggios and flexible rhythms, with a wide variety
of musical phrases, which, as Spányi says in the liner-notes,
“produce an impression of fervent conversation among protagonists,
each represented by a musical idea”. Its closing movement is
reminiscent of the elder Bach’s two-part inventions.
All
of C.P.E. Bach’s solo keyboard works are similar, yet all are
different. As Spányi continues his series - we are nearing the
half-way point, now, as there should be more than 35 volumes -
one discovers the wide range of styles and colours that Bach used.
As with most of these recordings, this volume is played on an
attractive sounding clavichord and is well recorded. For clavichord
fans, each volume of this series is a welcome addition to the
meagre discography of this instrument, but for all kinds of music
fans, this disc, as the rest of the series, is a window into a
world of music that is little-known.
Kirk McElhearn
