Pieter-Jan Belder, Musica Amphion - J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Concertos (2022) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050: I. Allegro
02. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050: II. Affettuoso
03. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050: III. Allegro
04. Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: I. Allegro
05. Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: II. Adagio
06. Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: III. Allegro
07. Harpsichord Concerto No. 2 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1053: I. Without Tempo Indication
08. Harpsichord Concerto No. 2 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1053: II. Siciliano
09. Harpsichord Concerto No. 2 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1053: III. Allegro
10. Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1054: I. Without Tempo Indication
11. Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1054: II. Adagio e piano Sempre
12. Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1054: III. Allegro
13. Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: I. Allegro
14. Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: II. Larghetto
15. Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055: III. Allegro ma non Tanto
16. Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: I. Without Tempo Indication
17. Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo
18. Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: III. Presto
19. Harpsichord Concerto No. 6 in F Major, BWV 1057: I. Without Tempo Indication
20. Harpsichord Concerto No. 6 in F Major, BWV 1057: II. Andante
21. Harpsichord Concerto No. 6 in F Major, BWV 1057: III. Allegro Assai
22. Harpsichord Concerto No. 7 in G Minor, BWV 1058: I. Without Tempo Indication
23. Harpsichord Concerto No. 7 in G Minor, BWV 1058: II. Andante
24. Harpsichord Concerto No. 7 in G Minor, BWV 1058: III. Allegro Assai
25. Triple Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1044: I. Allegro
26. Triple Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1044: II. Adagio ma non tanto e Dolce
27. Triple Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1044: III. Alla Breve

Bach at his most extrovert and exhilarating: new, period-instrument accounts of the earliest masterpieces in the lineage of keyboard concertos.

Piano concertos from Beethoven to Brahms to Busoni and beyond are all indebted to the example of Bach in his Fifth Brandenburg Concerto, and its liberation of the harpsichord from continuo support to virtuoso soloist, in both the spectacular first-movement cadenza and the one-against-many dramatic narrative which marks a revolutionary break with the concerto-grosso model of collegiate co-operation.

Bach wrote the six Brandenburgs in his early 30s, while the majority of the works here were either written or compiled once he had moved to Leipzig in 1723. Taking charge of the music at a popular café, he adapted cantata movements and earlier concertos for other instruments, producing seven intricately worked pieces which traverse an expressive range from the high drama of the D minor BWV 1052, to the equable dialogue of the D major BWV 1054 (a reworking of the E major Violin Concerto) to the tightly wound pathos of the F minor BWV 1056.

Filling out the album to well over two and a half hours of music is the A minor Concerto BWV 1044 scored for the same combination of flute, violin and keyboard soloists as the Fifth Brandenburg, and in which the keyboard also takes the starring role, though with certain features which suggest it was either put together late in Bach’s life or possibly by one of his pupils or sons.

As both a harpsichordist and music director, Pieter-Jan Belder has been recording Bach’s music for more than two decades with Brilliant Classics and the period-instrument Musica Amphion ensemble which he founded in the tradition of distinguished Dutch early-music groups such as Frans Bruggen’s Orchestra of the 18th Century. He and his colleagues play together with a tightly knit sympathy borne of long familiarity and a comprehensive grasp of Bach’s output across every field of his music.

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