Bach & l'Italie

Featuring

Justin Taylor
Alessandro Scarlatti
Johann Sebastian Bach
Benedetto Marcello
Antonio Vivaldi

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Critical Reception

The Italian Concerto, BWV 971, was highly praised even by Bach's critic Adolf Scheibe, who called it "the perfect model of a well-appointed concerto for a single instrument."

Compositional Technique

Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971, explicitly states its inspiration as "Concerto in the Italian Manner" and features alternating tutti and solo passages performed on a single harpsichord.

Performer Biography

Justin Taylor, the harpsichordist on this album, won first prize at the International Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges in 2015, along with the audience prize and two special prizes.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Johann Sebastian Bach, though considered very German, was greatly influenced by Italian art and music, which helped him develop his unique musical language.

Compositional Technique

Bach's transcriptions of Italian works, mostly from 1713-1714, were more than simple instrument changes; he added his personal touch, transforming them into his own compositions.

Composition History

The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903, is considered one of Bach's most daring works, so much so that it was once attributed to his son, Wilhelm Friedemann.