Miklós Spányi, the harpsichordist and fortepianist on this album, has concentrated his work as a performer and researcher on the oeuvre of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach for several years.
Composer Biography
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed solo keyboard concertos regularly, usually one or two a year, after arriving at the Berlin court of Frederick the Great.
Compositional Technique
All of Emanuel Bach's keyboard concertos, including those on this album, follow a traditional three-movement ritornello form, alternating a full string group (tutti) with sections where the keyboard dominates.
Instruments
The fortepiano used for the D major concerto is a 1989 copy by Jan van den Hemel, based on one of the three surviving fortepianos by Gottfried Silbermann from 1749.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The three concertos on this album come from a period when the solo keyboard concerto was central to Emanuel Bach's musical activities, and he was working to develop and expand its potential.
Instruments
The harpsichord used for the G major and D minor concertos was built in 1991 by Werner Stannat, modeled after a 1734 instrument by Hieronymus Albre Hass.
Interpretation
The performers chose to use a harpsichord for the first two concertos and an early fortepiano for the third, based on how well the instruments suited the specific musical textures of each piece.
You might also enjoy...
Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 5
Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 18
C. P. E. Bach: The Keyboard Concertos Wq 43
Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 14
Dussek: Piano Concertos Op. 1/3, 29 & 70 (Hyperion Classical Piano Concerto 1)
Wilms: The Piano Concertos, Vol. 2
Bach, C.P.E.: Concerti per il Cembalo
Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 19
Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 6
F.X. Mozart & Clementi: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Classical Piano Concerto 3)
Kalkbrenner: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Hummel: Piano Concerto No. 4
