C.P.E. Bach's concertos feature a confrontational relationship between orchestra and soloist, where the orchestra can challenge or even "engulf" the soloist.
Performer Biography
This 2005 recording was flautist and conductor Alexis Kossenko's first disc with Arte dei Suonatori on the Alpha label, and his first project where he controlled all parameters.
Historical Context
C.P.E. Bach, though admired by Haydn and Mozart, sometimes had to compromise with the conventional tastes of his employer, Frederick the Great, who found Bach's concertos too difficult.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alexis Kossenko describes the music of C.P.E. Bach as "very feline," capable of purring gently but also suddenly clawing, never totally domesticated.
Recording & Production
The recording was dedicated to the memory of Alexis Kossenko's late teacher, Alain Marion, who instilled in him an "unshakable faith in music."
Interpretation
The performers chose a relatively small orchestra to balance flexibility with power, aiming for a sound representative of C.P.E. Bach's time.
Instruments
The flautist, Alexis Kossenko, chose a two-keyed ebony and ivory flute by Jean-Jacques Melzer, modeled after an original by Quantz from around 1745, for this recording.
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