Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Concertos pour clavecin et cordes

Featuring

Stéphanie Paulet
Sophie Gent
Gabriel Grosbard
Emmanuel Jacques
Joseph Carver
Maude Gratton

Il Convito
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

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Compositional Technique

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's harpsichord concertos show his father's influence in their contrapuntal density and poised development, but also his own originality in rhythmic figures and abrupt changes of mood.

Composition History

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's early career was stable; his father helped him secure his first post as organist of the Sophienkirche in Dresden from 1733 to 1746.

Performer Biography

Maude Gratton, the harpsichordist and director of Il Convito, founded the ensemble in 2005 and has received awards for her recordings, including a Diapason d'or for her first solo album of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's works.

Compositional Technique

The Concerto in E minor synthesizes the density of his A minor concerto with the vigor of his D major concerto, featuring longer, more varied developments and a dramatic dialogue between strings and soloist.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Carl Friedrich Zelter, a teacher of Felix Mendelssohn, criticized Wilhelm Friedemann Bach for his 'tic douloureux' of being original and distancing himself from his father and brothers.

Composition History

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach dedicated his Concerto in E minor to Princess Maria Antonia of Bavaria, hoping to secure a position or honor, which he did not receive.

Composer Biography

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, is often remembered for his unstable character and financial struggles, including selling his father's manuscripts.