Einav Yarden - J.S. Bach & C.P.E. Bach: Father and Son (2023) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

When I first discovered C.P.E Bach’s keyboard music, I remember being completely amazed by its versatility and originality, by its inventiveness, spectrum of expression and its boldness. I was equally astounded by how much he preceded his time, that only one generation away from his father’s High Baroque, and long before the Viennese Classical School fully flourished, he experimented so widely, pushed boundaries tirelessly, and in many ways laid the foundation for what was to become the Classical style. That he influenced Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven is clear and known, but one could also argue that he foreshadowed in certain ways the Romantic period.

With this album I wish to shed light on this brilliant composer’s music, but wanted to do so while placing him next to the composer he most admired, but from whom he also needed to diverge and completely redefine himself – his father, Johann Sebastian Bach. The differences are extreme in every parameter, but some interesting parallels also emerge, as in the relationship to the written improvisation, the fantasia and the rondo.

The majority of the C.P.E. Bach pieces on this album were written in the later part of his career, but two of them were written in the 1740’s, in other words while his father was still alive and writing. Each in its way, they offer a window into this interesting transition period in musical style and in C.P.E.’s composition. The works from his later period further unfold his endless originality and ceaseless urge to experiment. The incredible masterpieces of J.S. Bach are milestones of beauty and perfection - and when heard next to the son’s pieces, they further highlight just how far, and in how many directions, the son went.

This recording was made using a Chris Maene Concert Grand built in 2017. This remarkable instrument combines the knowledge and materials used in modern piano building with those found in older historical instruments. The most striking feature is that unlike in modern grand pianos, in which the strings in the bass and middle registers cross, in this instrument all strings run parallel to each other. As a result, it combines the solidity of a modern concert grand piano with the transparent sound ideal of older instruments.

Tracklist:
01. Bach: Rondo in C Minor, Wq. 59/4: Allegro
02. Bach: Rondo in G Major, Wq. 57/3: Poco andante
03. Bach: Fantasia in E-flat Major, Wq. 58/6: Allegro di molto
04. Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903: I. Fantasia
05. Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903: II. Fugue
06. Bach: “Prussian Sonata” No. 2 in B-flat Major, Wq. 48/2: I. Vivace
07. Bach: “Prussian Sonata” No. 2 in B-flat Major, Wq. 48/2: II. Adagio
08. Bach: “Prussian Sonata” No. 2 in B-flat Major, Wq. 48/2: III. Allegro assai
09. Bach: Fantasia in C Major, Wq. 61/6: Presto di molto
10. Bach: Sonata in D Major, Wq. 61/2: I. Allegro di molto
11. Bach: Sonata in D Major, Wq. 61/2: II. Allegretto
12. Bach: Sonata in D Major, Wq. 61/2: III. Presto di molto
13. Bach: English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: I. Prelude
14. Bach: English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: II. Allemande
15. Bach: English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: III. Courante
16. Bach: English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: IV. Sarabande
17. Bach: V. English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: Bourree I – Bourree II – Bourree I
18. Bach: VI. English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: Gigue
19. Bach: Arioso with 7 Variations in F Major, Wq. 118/4


Thanks to the Original customer!