Customer Reviews

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Wind Chamber Music

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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788): Wind Chamber Music. Performed by the ensemble Fiati con Tasto, Cologne, with the participation of Karl Kaiser, transverse flute, Diego Montes, 2nd clarinet, and Nicholas Selo, violoncello. Recorded in March 1997 at the studios of the West German Radio in Cologne. cpo 999 508-2.

Over the last few years, the German specialist label cpo has made a not inconsiderable contribution to our knowledge of the music of the sons of the great Johann Sebastian Bach. Carl Philipp Emanuel, his second son, was, in the second half of the 18th century, a household name, generally considered greater than his father. The stations of his career were Leipzig (where he grew up under the able tuition of his father), Frankfurt an der Oder (where he studied law), Berlin (where he served as a musician at the Court of the King of Prussia) and Hamburg (where he succeeded Telemann as general director of church music).

The "Wind Chamber Music" CD contains some extremely rarely heard pieces from practically all periods of Emanuel Bach's life. The concluding "Six Sonatas for Fortepiano, Clarinet and Bassoon" are from his mature Hamburg period, the other material goes back to Berlin or even to Frankfurt an der Oder. The most significant piece on the recording is the Sonata for Harpsichord and Flute H. 506, a work that Emanuel Bach originally conceived about 1749 as a trio sonata but which he somewhat later re-organised for just two instrumentalists. It conveys very well the flavor of the upcoming style of "Empfindsamkeit", with the instrumental parts often contrasting instead of merely complementing each other as in the earlier rather more baroque-sounding pieces. Christian Schruff points out in his ample and informative notes that the "Pastorale" (track 12) may not, in fact, be by Emanuel Bach at all. The Duos for two clarinets were written with a mechanical clock in mind: as played here, they sound ravishing, but lack the emotional intensity of some of Bach's other pieces.

The performers on this disc are all early music specialists with a not inconsiderable reputation, many of them being professors of their instrument at European universities. The playing sounds absolutely delightful, and as cpo have, as usual, got the engineering just right, this is really a high recommendation for those who wish to advance to rare chamber music of the period prior to Mozart.

This a handsome record in every sense. I have had it since it came out several years ago. It is beautifully played and recorded and the music is compelling and attractive. CPE Bach should be one of the most popular of early composers and this is a great way to discover him. There is a lot of variety in the colours of this chamber music which adds to the enjoyment of the disc. I would say that this is an essential CPE Bach record.