Bach: Six Sonatas, BWV 1014-1019

Featuring

Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch
Tuija Hakkila
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Compositional Technique

J.S. Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014-19) feature an 'obbligato' keyboard part, elevating the keyboardist from accompanist to an equal partner with the violinist.

Historical Context

C.P.E. Bach, J.S. Bach's second son, was crucial in preserving and promoting his father's music, sending copies of these sonatas to J.S. Bach's first biographer, Johann Nikolaus Forkel.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in April 2022 at Karjaa Church in Finland, with Matti Heinonen of Pro Audile Oy as the recording engineer.

Performer Biography

Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch, the violinist on this album, plays a Baroque violin made by Giovanni Battista Rogeri in Brescia in 1691, owned by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Interpretation

C.P.E. Bach likely performed these sonatas on the fortepiano, a keyboard instrument capable of dynamic expression that enhanced the 'singing qualities' he admired in the slow movements.

Instruments

J.S. Bach examined early fortepianos by Gottfried Silbermann, admiring their tone but initially criticizing their heavy action; Silbermann later improved them to Bach's satisfaction.

Composer's Artistic Vision

All but the last of Bach's six sonatas for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014-19) begin with slow movements of intense feeling, emphasizing emotion and implication.