Baroque concert: J.C. Bach, J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, W.F. Bach

Those attending the early music concert of the BFO’s ensemble playing historical instruments will be able to enjoy an extraordinary father and son event. There will be an abundance of talented members of the Bach family in the program. Audiences can hear two compositions by the father of Baroque masterpieces, Johann Sebastian: the Brandenburg Concerto composed for strings only, and a reconstructed violin concerto. The concert will open with a piece by Bach’s youngest son and eighteenth child, Johann Christian, also known as the London or Milan Bach, and end with two symphonies composed by two of his older offspring: his second son Carl Philipp Emanuel, also known as the Hamburg Bach, and his elder brother, Wilhelm Friedemann. All this will be under the direction of violinist and conductor Julien Chauvin, known for his authentic but spontaneous and passionate live Baroque performances.

Johann Christian or, as he was known in London, Mr. John Bach, staged a concert series together with Karl Friedrich Abel in the English capital beginning in 1765, presenting a number of their brand-new pieces. This was when Bach premiered his Op. 6 works, including the closing piece - the composer’s only symphony composed in a minor key. An opening movement exploding with Sturm-und-Drang-like momentum is followed by a slower one, built on a more somber theme, which then gives way in the finale to the return of an energetic, dynamic, radical and stormy musical landscape.

“Do not judge their imperfections with the rigor of that discriminating and sensitive taste which the whole world knows Your Highness to have for musical works.” Notwithstanding the flattery, the Marquis of Brandenburg did not reward Johann Sebastian Bach for his six concertos. The pieces composed in 1721 follow the traditions of the Italian concerto grosso – with ingredients characteristic of Bach. In the Third Concerto, the soloists include three each of violins, violas, and cellos. Between the majestic opening movement and the dynamic finale, the slow movement consists of just two notes to be elaborated on by the performers.

It is believed that all of Johann Sebastian Bach's harpsichord concertos are reworkings of the composer's earlier concertos. The original Harpsichord Concerto in F minor was probably an oboe or violin concerto, which could be easily reconstructed based on the right hand part. In the first movement, the soloist and the orchestra play in rhythmic contrast. The slow movement is a genuine hit, and the same as the first overture to a cantata of Bach. The piece concludes with a finale flowing in constant motion.

Composed in 1755, the Symphony in C major is a piece straddling the boundaries of two epochs. Coming just five years after the passing of Johann Sebastian, Carl Philipp Emanuel’s piece was, understandably, still following Baroque conventions in many ways. These include the fact that each of the three movements presents a particular mood. In terms of its harmonic language, the piece represented a nod to classicism. The symphony comprises an energetic opening movement, a noble slow movement and a finale hinting at the rondo already, which as a genre, was just taking shape.

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's Symphony in F major was nicknamed the Dissonant Symphony for a reason. Composing at the border between Baroque and Classical styles, the composer created a number of bold innovations in his pieces. The opening movement of the symphony, rich in harmonic surprises, starts off seemingly well, but at one point the theme enters “on the wrong note”. The movement is characterized by unexpected key and tempo changes and followed by an operatic love aria and then some raging music. The latter, however, is not the finale: the piece concludes with two graceful minuets.