Nineteenth-century pianist-composers like Liszt, Brahms, Busoni, and Rachmaninov continued the tradition of transcribing works by Bach and others for piano, often with enormous technical demands.
Historical Context
The practice of transcribing and adapting musical works for different instruments was common in Bach's time, as exemplified by Rameau's 'Pièces de clavecin en concerts'.
Composition History
Bach's Concerto in A minor, BWV 1065 for four harpsichords, is a reworking of Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto op. 3 no. 10 for four violins from 'L'Estro armonico'.
Composition History
Many of Bach's keyboard concertos, including four on this album, are transcriptions of his own works originally composed for other instruments, or of works by other composers.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in July 2018 at the Chapelle des Carmélites in Toulouse, France.
Composer Biography
Bach's first biographer, Johann Nikolaus Forkel, noted that Bach arranged Vivaldi's violin concertos for keyboard to study their structure and variety.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach did not consider the original instrumentation of his works to be fixed, often changing the ensemble for which they were intended.
