Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester - Bach: Harpsichord Concertos (2015)

J.S. Bach's seven fabulously inventive concertos for solo harpsichord and orchestra mark a key stage in the history of the concertante form. The set was compiled during Bach's Leipzig years, when he directed the city's Collegium Musicum, and requires unfailing virtuosity and imagination of its performers. In the interpretations of Andreas Staier and the Freiburger Barockorchester, these works come alive again in joyful readings that are sure to delight.

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Andreas Staier
Orchestra/Ensemble: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra

An exhilarating collectionThe seven fabulously inventive concertos for solo harpsichord and orchestra mark a key stage in the history of the concertante form. The set was compiled during Bach’s Leipzig years, when he directed the city’s Collegium Musicum, and requires unfailing virtuosity and imagination of its performers. The contagious pleasure one feels in the interpretations of Andreas Staier and the Freiburger Barockorchester restores the full range of meanings to the word ‘play’!

Nowadays, J.S. Bach's seven harpsichord concertos are most often performed on a grand piano with modern orchestral accompaniment, largely for the sake of striking a proper balance of dynamics and instrumentation. In light of this preference, it has become a little difficult to find historically informed versions that sound close to what Bach would have heard. These period style performances by Andreas Staier and the Freiburger Barockorchester provide a welcome alternative to the standard modern releases, and listeners with a taste for authenticity can be assured that Staier's scholarship and interpretations are impeccable. Staier plays a replica of a 1734 harpsichord, and the small ensemble of recorders, strings, and continuo is appropriately scaled to the music's textures and the balance of soloist and orchestra. Harmonia Mundi's recording is elaborate, involving spot and omnidirectional microphones that capture the players with remarkable subtlety and presence, so all the nuances and details of these exciting performances can be heard clearly without sacrificing the full-bodied sound.

Tracklist:

Concerto No.1 BWV 1052 in D minor
01. I. Allegro 7’48
02. II. Adagio 7’06
03. III. Allegro 8’05

Concerto No.2 BWV 1053 in E major
04. I. - 8’31
05. II. Siciliano 4’43
06. III. Allegro 6’38

Concerto No.7 BWV 1058 in G minor
07. I. - 3’36
08. II. Andante 5’46
09. III. Allegro assai 4’06

Concerto No.3 BWV 1054 in D major
10. I. - 7’41
11. II. Adagio e piano sempre 6’39
12. III. Allegro 2’41

Concerto No.4 BWV 1055 in A major
13. I. Allegro 4’24
14. II. Larghetto 5’14
15. III. Allegro ma non troppo 4’20

Concerto No.5 BWV 1056 in F minor
16. I. - 3’05
17. II. Largo 2’40
18. III. Presto 3’36

Concerto No.6 BWV 1057 in F major
19. I. - 6’52
20. II. Andante 3’32
21. III. Allegro assai 4’50