Bach: Orchestrales der Familie Bach (Neue Philharmonie Westfalen)

by Pavel Strugalev / Bernhard Forck

"He should not be called Bach, but the sea" - this exclamation attributed to Beethoven initially refers to the "inexhaustible wealth" from the pen of Johann Sebastian Bach. But the Thomaskantor passed on his talent: four of his sons became successful composers. J. S. Bach himself came from a family of musicians. His second cousin Johann Bernhard Bach also produced a wealth of compositional work as an organist. Unfortunately, little survived, including four overtures. They are designed in the French suite style. The Overture in G minor also combines courtly dance forms from France with Italian virtuosity. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the Thomaskantor's second eldest son, was a court musician under Prussian King Frederick the Great and interacted with the brightest minds of his time. With the six "Hamburg Symphonies" in 1773, CPE Bach created the sound of "Sturm und Drang". The 5th Symphony in this group of works surprised everyone with its original twists, harsh dialogues and bold contrasts. Johann Christian Bach was at the cradle of a genre that would reach great heights in the 18th century: the symphony. Johann Christian's wild G minor symphony seems to have rubbed off directly on Mozart's early G minor symphony. Feverish forward thrust, powerful unisons, excited tremolos and long jumps give the outer movements dramatic expression. The minor middle movement also reflects emotional unrest. Before J. S. Bach, as St. Thomaskantor in Leipzig, dealt primarily with sacred music, his concerts showed him to be at the height of courtly instrumental music. While the violin often plays fast arpeggios and semiquavers, the oboe sings itself out in cantilenas in the Concerto BWV 1060. The striking first movement is followed by a tender dialogue over a long-winded melody. Here the two solo instruments float in dreamy absorption above the reserved accompaniment. The final Allegro is again playful and virtuosic with its angular, energetic theme.