Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Bach-Centricity: Concertos, Trios & Sonatas arranged for two harpsichords
David Ponsford (harpsichord), David Hill (harpsichord)
rec. 2023/2024, Alvescott, Oxfordshire, UK
Reviewed as a download
Nimbus Records NI6454 [70]
In the course of history many compositions have been arranged for different scorings than for which they were originally conceived. That was often the work of performers who wanted to play music on their own instrument(s), but composers themselves also arranged music, either their own works or that of others. The present disc includes examples from the oeuvre of Johann Sebastian Bach: a part of his keyboard oeuvre consists of arrangements. He turned some arias from cantatas to chorale preludes for organ, and the best-known specimens of his art of arrangement are the harpsichord concertos, most of which were originally scored for different solo instruments, such as the oboe or the violin. He always had a keen interest in what was written by others, especially early in his career, and that has left its mark on his work.
The core of the programme, recorded by David Ponsford and David Hill, are the concertos in the Italian style, either by Vivaldi, who in his time was its main representative, or by Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, who had come under its spell and wrote concertos of his own.
During his studies in the Netherlands he heard Jan Jacob de Graaf, organist of the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, who used to play Italian solo concertos in his own adaptations for the organ. Johann Ernst returned home with many scores in his baggage; Amsterdam was a centre of music publishing, and some of Vivaldi’s music had already been published there, such as the collection L’Estro Armonico Op. 3. Back home, he started to compose in that style, and two of his concertos were arranged by Bach who in 1708 had been appointed organist at the Weimar court. Bach continued to explore concertos by Vivaldi and other Italian composers. He arranged some of them for organ or harpsichord. Two of the former are included here.
Bach was not only interested in the Italian style; he also investigated what was written in France. He owned copies of French organ music (Grigny, Raison) and knew the oeuvre of François Couperin. An impressive specimen of his love for the French style is the organ Fantasia BWV 572, better known as Pièce d’orgue. Here we get the Aria in F (BWV 587), which is an arrangement of a movement from Couperin’s sonata La Convalescente, which was later included in the collection Les Nations as part of the suite L’Impériale. It has the form of a rondeau, which was very fashionable in France at the time.
Bach knew many of his peers, either through their music or personally. It is not known if he knew Johann Friedrich Fasch personally, but he was one of the main composers of his time, whose music was performed at the Dresden court. The Trio in C minor is an arrangement of two movements from a trio sonata by Fasch. The Trio in D minor is a bit of a mystery. The sources all date from after Bach’s death. In one source it is called a chorale prelude, but the chorale has not been identified. It is very similar to the trio sonatas, as one source confirms, as it calls this work Trio a 2 Clav. e Pedal.
Most works on this disc are arrangements by Bach himself, arranged again by David Ponsford. That also goes for the Sonata in G for viola da gamba and harpsichord, which is an arrangement of the Sonata for two transverse flutes and basso continuo BWV 1039, which in turn has its origin in an earlier work, probably for two violins and basso continuo. The only original work, apart from the Trio BWV 583 just mentioned, is the sixth Brandenburg Concerto, although it is suggested in the liner-notes that the form in which it is known today may have been preceded by an earlier version.
The fact that Bach arranged works of his own and those of others can be used as a justification for arrangements by performers. The shape in which they are performed here puts them into the atmosphere of an aristocratic court, as only aristocrats could afford more than one harpsichord. Most of the works on the programme were originally scored for organ, but in all cases, probably with the exception of the Brandenburg Concerto, the original has to be extended. That certainly is the case with the Sonata for viola da gamba and harpsichord. This is done very well and is stylistically convincing. The organ concertos are especially interesting, because as they are usually played on large organs in reverberant spaces, not each part may be clearly audible. That is different here, and that offers a different perspective on these works. The articulation allows for the suggestion of dynamic accents. In the slow movements one can admire the creative ornamentation in the upper part. The use of two harpsichords lends the movements marked ‘grave’ the necessary depth.
Bach’s music is often arranged, but not all arrangements are stylistically convincing, especially if they are made for instruments Bach did not know. That is different here. Bach’s idiom is respected, and the arrangements remain close to the original. Add to that the engaging and lively playing, and one may appreciate that this is a delightful disc, which will obviously appeal to lovers of Bach’s music and harpsichord aficionados, but will also please anyone who likes baroque music to be played in a stylish and entertaining manner.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
https://bsky.app/profile/musicadeidonum.bsky.social
Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free.
Contents
Concerto in C (BWV 595) (after Johan Ernst of Saxe-Weimar)
Concerto in A minor (BWV 593) (after Antonio Vivaldi)
Trio in D minor (BWV 583)
Sonata in G (BWV 1027)
Trio in C minor (BWV 585) (after Johann Friedrich Fasch)
Concerto in G (BWV 592) (after Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat (BWV 1051)
Aria in F (BWV 587) (after François Couperin)
Concerto in D minor (BWV 596) (after Antonio Vivaldi)
