Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
New Brandenburg Concertos, arranged by Antoine Torunczyk from the Trio Sonatas BWV 525-530
Concerto Copenhagen/Antoine Torunczyk
rec. 2025 at Koncertkirken, Copenhagen, Denmark
Berlin Classics 0303972BC [67]

All of us who enjoy Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos wish there were more of them. In recent years some bold spirits have taken matters into their own hands to give us precisely that. As Bach was himself a frequent adapter of his works from one medium to another, there is no harm when modern musicians do the same thing. First in the field, to my knowledge, was the late Bruce Haynes, who adapted various cantata movements to make what he also called New Brandenburg Concertos, which he numbered 7 to 12, in continuation of the original set. These were recorded by Bande Montréal Baroque under Eric Milnes on Atma Classique, and are well worth hearing. Next came Christopher Harer with La Festa Musicale, who gave us three New Brandenburg Concertos on a disc I enjoyed last year (review). Now we have Antoine Torunczyk who has also given us a set of New Brandenburg Concertos.

Torunczyk’s approach is different from those of the other two I have mentioned. Instead of adapting a range of cantata movements, he has taken the set of six Organ Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-530, and arranged these for varying combinations of instruments, one to a line. In fact, Bach had already reused some of these movements in other works. Making these arrangements was a four-year project which Torunczyk began in lockdown. In a charming, informative and modest note he has written for this recording – and on which I have drawn – he describes his work as ‘historically informed fiction.’

The original trio sonatas were not for three instruments but for two manuals (keyboards) and the pedal board of an organ, all played by one player. They are all in three movements, with the pattern fast-slow-fast. The parts are very complex, and they also go beyond the range of any common instrument apart from the organ. The arrangements therefore each use a small ensemble, one to a part, and each new concerto has a different instrumental combination. The common element is the continuo for each work, which is taken by Megan Adie on the violone (precursor of the cello) and Lars-Ulrik Mortensen on the cembalo (harpsichord|). The other instruments used include flutes of various kinds, oboe – also oboe d’amore and oboe da caccia (this last is the precursor of the cor anglais) – violins, violas of different sizes and a bassoon.   Torunczyk himself plays the oboe in three of the concertos and oboe d’amore in one other.

The most striking thing about these performances is the delicious variety of instrumental timbres employed. So, in the first concerto here, numbered 7 in continuation of Bach’s numbering, there are two horns as in Bach’s first Brandenburg Concerto, and there are also a normal oboe and an oboe da caccia, making an exuberant noise. Concerto 8 has the outer movements in minor keys and features a flute with a string band and a bassoon which is occasionally allowed a solo moment. Concerto 9 follows the example of Telemann, who was a friend of Bach, in including both a flute and a recorder – which is itself also a kind of flute – and strings. The dialogue between the flute and the recorder makes for a fascinating contrast.

Concerto 10 features oboe d’amore and viola d’amore along with flute and violin as soloists and is in effect a concerto grosso inspired by a cantata movement. Concerto 11 gives the bassoon a concertante role, something Bach himself rarely did, and also features a viola pomposa, which is a large viola with an extra string and an extended range. Finally, concerto 12 uses a large group with the scoring that constantly changes, making for a cheerful conclusion.

This recording is a real labour of love, and you can hear the enthusiasm of the players as they get into their rewarding parts. The sound is beautifully clear and the whole is a most worthwhile project.

Stephen Barber

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