Search - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, CPE Bach, Bob Van Asperen :: C.P.E. Bach: Hamburg Concertos

Van Asperen brings back the sounds of Hamburg

Molly the Cat | the USA | 10/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Up front, let me say that the performers here (not listed by Amazon at this writing) are Bob van Asperen, soloist and conductor, directing Melante Amsterdam.This recording from the early 1980s, finally released on CD, presents C.P.E. Bach's six harpsichord concerti, Wq. 43 (Helm 471-6). The timing is rather short weight for a 2 CD set, clocking in at just under 90 minutes (and in the original 1984 issue of this recording, which I chanced upon in a secondhand bookstore in 1998, the whole thing fit on a "double play cassette"). Nevertheless, this is a very welcome addition to the C.P.E. discography, consisting of what appears to be the only complete recording of this set of concertos. The only other disc of this music I have found contains only one of the concertos, Wq. 43/5 (Trevor Pinnock's 1975 recording "Sons of Bach" on CRD, catalog number 3311).Each of these concertos are clever little works that average about 15 minutes each, sometimes experimenting with cyclical and reprise forms (such as the c minor and G Major concertos), often indulging in the unexpected and in musical wit, in Emanuel's most characteristic style (e.g., the unusual keys of the middle movements, or of the E flat's finale, which launches in f minor before "righting itself" in the home key). Van Asperen and his forces play with verve and a good sense of the style; they are clearly quite at home in Emanuel's "empfindsam" vein. A few oddities about the set are easily borne, such as the retention of the order of the original 1984 release (for some reason, the concertos were placed in the order 4, 5, 2, 6, 3, 1, instead of the way C.P.E. published them; surely this could have been rectified in the CD reissue), or van Asperen not playing continuo during concertos 4 and 5, but only the solos (compare Pinnock's recording of no. 5, where the continuo is played under the "tutti" portions throughout; perhaps van Asperen was busy using his hands to direct the Melante players?). But this music is too enjoyable to miss because of such quibbles. The bargain price means that you get what is essentially a CD and a half of music (90 minutes) for less than the price of 1 full-price CD. I've been waiting for this release to come out since 1998. Make sure you don't miss grabbing it while it remains in print!"

The better Bach

Louis Richard | Kjustendil, Kjustendil Bulgaria | 07/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not many people know the majestic and interesting concertos by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, but Bob van Asperen first presented them back in the 80s to rapturous success. This is baroque music at its finest - thoughtful, inventive, colourful - sometimes melancholy, sometimes joyful. But always interesting. I adore this music and heartily recommend these recordings."

Outstanding recordings of some excellent concerti

Steven Guy | Croydon, South Australia | 10/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read that C. Ph. E. Bach was very proud of these works and he should have been, they're all excellent pieces of music.



I've owned this recording for many years now and I return to it quite often to make friends with it again. The interpretations are excellent and they bring out the drama in this music. The recording quality of these two discs is very clean and clear and the sounds of the instruments are vivid and alive.



I guess that many will feel that Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's concerti lie somewhere between the harpsichord concerti of his father, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the fortepiano concerti of W. A. Mozart. The orchestra is expanded a little in C. Ph. E. Bach's concerti - his father used strings in all but one of his surviving harpsichord concerti. However, the orchestra is a little smaller than the ones specified by Mozart in the majority of his harpsichord and fortepiano concerti.



Concerto Wq 43 no. 2 in D major is my favourite in this collection, but all of the concerti are very fine works.



I am sure that I will be listening to this recording for many years to come."