Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714 - 1788)
Works for Violin and Pianoforte
Sonata in c minor (Wq 78 / H 514) [21:48]
Sonata in B flat (Wq 77 / H 513) [15:22]
Arioso in A (Wq 79 / H 535) [10:22]
Sonata in b minor (Wq 76 / H 512) [19:27]
Albrecht Breuninger (violin), Piet Kuijken (fortepiano)
rec. 9-11 January 2006, chamber music room of SWR, Stuttgart, Germany. DDD
HDNSSLER CLASSIC CD 93.312 [67:20]
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born in 1714. This means that 2014 is a commemoration
year. It is to be expected that a number of recordings of his music will be
released. In 1988, when his death was commemorated, he was still a largely
unknown quantity, and the many recordings which were produced at the time
have greatly improved his reputation. Today his music is far more often performed
and he is well represented in the catalogue. The Swedish label BIS realized
two of the most important recording projects around Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach:
the complete recordings of his keyboard concertos and of his oeuvre for keyboard
solo.
The chamber music is a lesser-known part of his outuput. The best-known pieces
are the three quartets for keyboard, flute, viola and bass and some of the
flute sonatas. The works for keyboard and violin are not that often performed.
However, the later works in this genre are substantial pieces which reflect
some of the features of Bach's style.
The first attempts in this department date from the 1730s when Emanuel was
still a pupil of his father. Some of his chamber music compositions from this
period are attributed to the latter. This indicates that stylistically he
didn't move far away from Johann Sebastian's style. The situation was very
different some decades later when Emanuel worked at the court of Frederick
the Great. His compositions were such that his employer didn't enjoy them
very much, as he was especially fond of the galant idiom of which his flute
teacher, Johann Joachim Quantz, was an exponent. However, it is questionable
whether the difference is as large as has often been suggested. Recent explorations
of Quantz's music show that one doesn't do him justice if one considers his
music as nothing more than galant. It seems that the antagonism between Emanuel
and Frederick was largely personal. They just didn't like each other very
much. Emanuel was probably also too self-confident for Frederick's liking
- clearly a legacy from his father.
Most of Bach's chamber music compositions date from these years. They were
not written for performance at Fredericks court, but rather at the homes
of wealthy citizens in Berlin. Here Bach moved in circles of the bourgeoisie
and representatives of the Enlightenment: artists, musicians and poets. He
became acquainted with some of the most renowned writers of his time, many
of whose poems he set to music. A large part of his songs for voice and keyboard
date also from this time. The sonatas show an increase in emotion and drama.
This was probably partly inspired by the Italian operas he heard at the Berlin
opera which was founded in 1741.
The three sonatas recorded here date from 1763 while the Arioso in A
was written in 1781 when Bach was director musices in Hamburg. The
latter is a piece for keyboard with violin accompaniment. The violin adds
some colour to the keyboard part, but otherwise has no substantial contribution.
The situation differs in the three sonatas, although here the keyboard has
the lead as well. However, in various movements the two instruments play thematic
material of their own. One sometimes get the impression of the two instruments
playing apart. We also find features that we encounter in his keyboard works
and some of the symphonies: sudden changes in tempo and dynamics and unexpected
pauses.
Considering that the works for keyboard and violin are not that well-known
this disc should be most welcome. However, there are several things amiss.
To begin with, the title is misleading: these are not works for violin and
fortepiano - it is the other way around. Moreover, it is highly questionable
whether Bach had the fortepiano in mind while composing the three sonatas.
At that time this instrument had not fully established itself as an alternative
to the harpsichord. It seems very likely that the latter still had the dominance.
These two aspects have a damaging effect on the overall result.
The violin is often too assertive here. This is not only due to the approach
of the artists, it is also the result of Albrecht Breuninger playing a modern
- or probably 'modernized' - violin. The instrument is not specified, but
as far as I am aware Breuninger has no credentials at all in the realm of
period instrument performances. Also the sound of the violin clearly suggests
that this is no period instrument. In order not to dominate too much Breuninger
has to reduce the volume of his playing. This has the same effect as a pianist
trying to make his instrument sound like a harpsichord: it detracts from some
of the features of the instrument. The expressive qualities of the violin
are not explored. Dynamically Breuninger's playing is too flat. When he plays
forte, once in a while, the violin overshadows the fortepiano. As a whole
these performances are not very expressive. Sometimes I found them dull, especially
in the Sonata in c minor.
The identity of the fortepiano is also not revealed. I have the impression
that this is an instrument - or the copy of such an instrument - from the
latest decades of the 18th century. That could be acceptable in the Arioso
in A but not in the sonatas. If a fortepiano is to be used here, it should
be an earlier instrument, for instance a Silbermann. I have to add that Piet
Kuijken's playing is not that energetic and he doesn't fully explore the expressive
qualities of the keyboard parts.
All in all, this is rather disappointing. It is very much to be hoped that
this part of Emanuel's oeuvre will be recorded with more appropriate instruments
and in more engaging performances.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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