Bach used a two-manual harpsichord with a 16-foot register, made by Zacharias Hildebrandt under the supervision of Gottfried Silbermann, which provided a sturdier bass sound than modern copies.
Compositional Technique
Bach frequently 'recycled' his own music, adapting earlier compositions and works by other composers into new pieces, a practice he engaged in approximately 400 times.
Composition History
Bach created the new genre of the harpsichord concerto in 1717 with his Fifth Brandenburg Concerto, which was the first concerto to feature the harpsichord as the main solo instrument.
Composer Biography
Bach's exposure to Vivaldi's concertos in Weimar, through his employer's nephew and the blind organist De Graaf, inspired him to compose his own pieces, including the Brandenburg Concertos.
Performer Biography
Marcin Świątkiewicz, the harpsichordist, is a winner of the 'Polityka' weekly's Passport Award for 2015 and teaches harpsichord and improvisation at the Academy of Music in Katowice.
Composition History
Bach's harpsichord concertos were performed at Zimmermann's coffee house in Leipzig, where he directed the Collegium Musicum and concerts were free, with the owner recovering costs by selling coffee.
Interpretation
The performers on this album chose a single string quartet without double bass, known from Café Zimmermann, for better balance and to highlight the contrapuntal richness of Bach's harpsichord concertos.
