For the exposed harpsichord part in the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto, a copy of a 1739 double manual instrument by Johann Heinrich Gräbner was used, built by Christian Fuchs in 2001.
Recording & Production
Concerto Köln is the first orchestra to use these reconstructed 'echo flutes' in a performance of the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto.
Composition History
The Brandenburg Concertos were not originally conceived as a cycle but were combined by Bach over an eight-year period and dedicated to Margrave Christian Ludwig von Brandenburg in 1721 as a 'musical business card'.
Instruments
For the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, Concerto Köln uses specially reconstructed 'echo flutes' (Fiauti d'Echo), based on historical descriptions, which are essentially two recorders made from one piece of wood.
Interpretation
The low tuning pitch used by Concerto Köln makes the highly virtuosic trumpet passages in the Second Brandenburg Concerto sound more idiomatic and allows for a softer ensemble sound.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach's Brandenburg Concertos blend Italian and French styles, a 'mixed style' that Johann Joachim Quantz described as arguably 'the German style'.
Interpretation
Concerto Köln chose a low tuning pitch of a1 = 392 Hz for this recording, a pitch primarily used in France during Bach's time.
