For all the talk of Bach as an essentially conservative composer, the seven concertos for harpsichord and orchestra (plus an eighth fragment) were progressive works, among the first concertos for keyboard instrument and orchestra. Bach arranged at least some of them from concertos for other instruments, now mostly lost. They pose problems of balance for the performers, problems that Bach himself seems to have struggled with, and recordings of the concertos are not abundant. There are several by big-name harpsichordists, but ...
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For all the talk of Bach as an essentially conservative composer, the seven concertos for harpsichord and orchestra (plus an eighth fragment) were progressive works, among the first concertos for keyboard instrument and orchestra. Bach arranged at least some of them from concertos for other instruments, now mostly lost. They pose problems of balance for the performers, problems that Bach himself seems to have struggled with, and recordings of the concertos are not abundant. There are several by big-name harpsichordists, but this one by Francesco Corti, conducting the historical-performance group Il Pomo d'Oro, is well worth the listener's time. In the outer movements, Corti differentiates the harpsichord from the small orchestra with sharp, punchy attacks that bring a fresh flavor to the most familiar of the pieces from this set, the first movement of the Harpsichord Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053. In the slow movements, Corti is lyrical and romantic, not quite to a Glenn Gould degree, but with a...
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Add this copy of Harpsichord Concertos to cart. $25.55, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Pentatone.
Add this copy of Bach: Harpsichord Concertos to cart. $35.36, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2020 by Pentatone.
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