Flute Music by Sons of Bach

The five works on the first disc are by two of the sons of J.S. Bach, and all are examples of what were known at the time as trios. Yet they are a diverse group, reflecting not only the distinct styles of their two composers by also the various types of sonatas written by them. The works on the second disc illuminate the crucial role played by C.P.E. Bach in the shift from the Baroque to the Rococo style and the tremendous artistic value of his work. On the faculty at Duke University, flutist Rebecca Troxler specializes in the music of J.S. Bach's sons and other Rococo composers and this repertoire shows off her warm tone, stylish phrasing and brilliant technique.

Bachiana: Music by the Bach family - Double Concertos
Musica Antiqua Köln / Reinhard Goebel
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 414 MB | Full Artwork: 107 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Archiv Produktion, DeutschlandRadio # 471 579-2 AH | Country/Year: Germany 2002
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque, Classicism

"…Musica Antiqua convey equal vitality and character to the two most striking rarities here. JCF Bach’s double concerto for fortepiano and viola appears as a prototype symphony with important solo interjections. Melodically unexceptional, it is nevertheless stylish in a jejune way. CPE Bach – the most iconoclastic of the sons – successfully combines the prevailing keyboard instruments of the day, harpsichord and fortepiano. Fingers fly with aplomb – and no little mischief – as one is left to ponder the impact of this last Bach generation on Mozart and Beethoven, with whom there were (and are) of course many significant connections. Goebel provides a historical wake-up call." ~Gramophone

That Johann Sebastian Bach had created his unbelievable compositional skills passed on to his sons as well the baroque ensemble Les Adieux shows with recordings of chamber music works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and Johann Christian Bach.

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach - Freiburger Barockorchester - Concerti
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 366 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Carus # 83.304 | Country/Year: Germany 2002
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque, Early Classical Period

…In short: an all around enjoyable and highly recommended CD!

Johann Christian Bach - Freiburger Barockorchester - Concerti
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 283 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Carus # 83.307 | Country/Year: Germany 2007
Genre: Classical | Style: Early Classical Period

…In short: the so-called "English Bach" is portrayed here in a very fascinating way; you only really regrets having so few comparisons to the reading of historical conductors.

The literature of duets for oboe and flute, with no bass instrument, is not large, and in putting together an album's worth the veteran Swiss musicians Heinz Holliger (oboe) and Felix Renggli (flute) come up with a rather mixed bag of pieces. The good news is that they include some real finds and play them well. The three sonatas for oboe and flute of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach are taken from a group of six he composed at various times in his career, and you can see why this most Bachian of Bach's sons might have been attracted to the experiment. The outer movements of these sonatas are rigorously polyphonic, with the flute and oboe contributing textural variation in the manner of the different stops of an organ, but at a more intimate scale. It's a delightful effect.

Abel published quite a few chamber works with flute, meeting the demand for new music by the many gentleman flutists in England. The flute concertos contained here, despite their opus number, were never published, but are found in a manuscript held in Leipzig which can be dated prior to 1759. Stylistically these works have left the Baroque far behind, with regular phrases, simple basses , broad harmonic movement. The melodies make ample use of lombardic rhythms and syncopations and the florid passaggi sparkles with triplets and scalar passages in sixteenths. Though there are occasional harmonic complications which recall Abel's background, the overall tone here is that of the Enlightenment. Who can Abel have written these works for?

Three years after their album of works by J.S. Bach (FUG 792), flautist Toshiyuki Shibata and keyboard player Anthony Romaniuk now record works not only by Bach but also by his sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann, "the most original and innovative" of the lineage, according to Shibata. Both musicians were trained in historically informed interpretation in Belgium and admit their fascination for Art Nouveau, stating that it harmoniously combines tradition and innovation; they have also been influenced by other musical traditions, including jazz and contemporary music: "Preludes and improvisation were essential elements of music-making in the 18th century — for us it’s natural to add preludes and postludes to our performances," says Shibata, who plays three traversos, copies of instruments by after Buffardin, Eigentopf and Quantz; Romaniuk plays a Flemish harpsichord and a Silbermann fortepiano. Their programme includes improvised preludes, a bold ending to BWV 1032/I and an original extra movement — a Gigue from BWV 997 with influences from several genres woven into its bass line, honouring both tradition and invention.