Unlike his brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach spent most of his life as a freelance musician, only partially tied to fixed positions.
Compositional Technique
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's Polonaises are so unusual that they evoke later composers like Chopin and Schumann, rather than his contemporaries.
Compositional Technique
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's musical thinking, as described by Reinhard Goebel, plunges directly into the music, presenting a wealth of material that can initially be disorienting for the listener.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in the Laurentius Church in Karlsruhe, Germany, between October 1-3, 2017, using a fortepiano by Susanne Merzdorf, modeled after an Anton Walter instrument from 1782.
Composition History
A publication of these Polonaises was announced in 1765 but never materialized, likely because they were technically and musically too demanding for the audience of the time.
Compositional Technique
The technical complexity and density of structure in Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's Polonaises are unique for his time, surpassing even the works of Haydn and Mozart in this regard.
Critical Reception
The twelve Polonaises by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach were considered 'arduous' by composer and conductor C. F. Zelter in the early 19th century.
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