Ernst Bach

Today it is the Passions of J.S Bach which are most commonly known. The Passion Oratorio by J.S Bach’s nephew, godson and pupil Johann Ernst Bach is lesser known. On this Capriccio re-release his Passion Oratorio is performed alongside an Ode on the 77th Psalm for tenor, chorus and orchestra and a Motet for solo voices, four-part chorus, strings and continuo.

J.S. Bach’s talent seems to flow in his grandson’s blood at least as strongly as in any of his sons. Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach’s two symphonies (as well as the vocal works featured here) inhabit the sound-world of mid- to late Mozart, albeit without the brilliance (in every sense of the word). This Bach’s wind writing is tasteful, and makes good use of the (then) newly-arrived clarinet. The Andante of the C major symphony is quite beautiful, with a dolefully sweet oboe solo throughout the movement. The period strings of Das Kleine Konzert are lively, clean, and in tune, although the violin soloist is not quite up to the rapid passage-work at the end of the G major symphony.

This is a unique collection of largely unknown compositions of the Bach family, the largest and most incredibly talented musical family of all time. For nearly two hundred years, the Bach family dedicated themselves to singing God’s praises in music. Helmuth Rilling, who has made the works of J S Bach and his family his life work, performs these pieces with delicacy, energy and intelligence.

This release offers four works [by] Johann Ernst Bach (1722-77), Johann Christoph Altnikol (1719-59), Johann Bernhard Bach (1676-1749), and Georg Gottfried Wagner (1698-1756)…The level of craftsmanship in these works is indicative of Bach's art. Stylistically, they range from the foursquare formality of the baroque to the charm of the emerging rococo…The singing is light-toned and agile, with proper weight of emotion and excellent dynamic range…

The cantatas BWV 217-222 are all now regarded as either being of dubious provenance or, in some cases, are definitely identified as being by composers other than J.S. Bach. However, it's worth considering them here because it is still possible that one or two of them may actually be genuine and since there is also a good quality recording available of this set (conducted by Wolfgang Helbich on CPO 999 139-2), so that listeners can come to their own conclusions!

It was a momentous encounter: around 1714, the Weimar court organist Johann Sebastian Bach came across Antonio Vivaldi’s opus 3 L’Estro armonico, hot off the press, and soon nothing would be the same for him musically. Bach eagerly appropriated the Venetian Red Priest’s modern concerto style. And true to the meaning of the word “concertare”, which in Italian means “to unite”, but in Latin means “to argue” or “to fight”, Bach rapidly entered into a competition, first with his Italian models and then with himself. At the outset, he arranged Vivaldi’s violin concertos for his (main) instrument, the organ. But then he transferred Vivaldi’s principles into his own instrumental concerto style. The results were his immortal Köthen concertos for one to three solo instruments and orchestra, blending the concerto principle of structural tutti ritornellos and interspersed imaginative solo episodes with Bach’s unique polyphonic style – highly virtuosic works in which all participating instruments connect with one another at eye level, and also enter into fierce competition with each other. All this can be heard on the third audite album of the Thüringer Bach Collegium: a good 70 minutes of competition for the best musical arguments, presented with irresistibly sparkling virtuosity.