The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin's recording of C. P. E. Bach's complete symphonies was completed over an extended period, without an initial plan for a full cycle.
Composition History
Some of C. P. E. Bach's symphonies were likely composed for opulent musical soirées at the Berlin court, hosted by figures like Queen Mother Sophia Dorothea and Princess Anna Amalia.
Compositional Technique
C. P. E. Bach's symphonies are characterized by unusual twists, abrupt mood changes, harmonic chasms, and unexpected general pauses, designed to surprise the listener.
Composer Biography
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, born in 1714, was the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach, the great Kantor of St Thomas's Church in Leipzig.
Composer's Artistic Vision
C. P. E. Bach's works are considered paradigms of the 'empfindsam' or 'sentimental' style, which emphasized originality, individual themes, and expanded musical expression.
Critical Reception
The Symphony in E minor Wq 177 was widely circulated and highly praised, with Johann Adolph Hasse recommending it as 'the finest he had ever heard'.
Composition History
Four of the symphonies on this album (Wq 182/1, 3-5) were commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, the Austrian ambassador to the Prussian court, who desired works where the composer could 'give himself a completely free hand'.
