Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Hamburger Sinfonien, Wq. 182

Featuring

Wolfram Christ
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

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Composer Biography

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the composer, served Friedrich II (Frederick the Great) as a harpsichordist for nearly 40 years, but their relationship remained cool, with the King rarely speaking to him.

Compositional Technique

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's symphonies are characterized by surprising harmonic shifts, abrupt changes in mood, and broad lyrical melodies, reflecting his emphasis on melodic lines and emotional depth.

Performer Biography

Wolfram Christ, the conductor, was the first solo violist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for 20 years and has also established a significant career as a conductor across four continents.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach pioneered the 'sensitive style' (empfindsamer Stil), which emphasized personal feeling and emotional expression in music, a departure from the Baroque doctrine of musical rhetoric.

Recording & Production

This recording features Sebastian Küchler-Blessing on fortepiano, providing a vividly realized and stylistically authentic continuo part, reflecting the composer's own approach to leading the orchestra from the keyboard.

Cultural Impact

In the late 18th century, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's fame surpassed that of his father, Johann Sebastian Bach, with the name 'Bach' often referring to him.

Composition History

These six symphonies were commissioned in 1773 by Gottfried van Swieten, an Austrian ambassador and later a sponsor of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, who encouraged Bach to compose without regard for performance difficulties.