Wilhelm Friedemann BACH (1710-1784)
12 Polonaises for Harpsichord, Falck 12 [51:38]
Fantasia, Falck 19 [5:14]
Sonata in E flat major, Falck 5 [10:32]
Siegbert Rampe (harpsichord, tangent piano)
rec. Marienmünster Abbey, Marienmünster, July 2009. DDD
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM MDG3411592-2 [67:51]
The smiling, genial face of W.F. Bach that looks out from the cover of this
CD belies the complex nature of the man and his music.
The eldest and most favoured of J.S. Bach’s sons, W.F. is known to musical
history as one of the great might-have-beens. An exceptionally gifted organist
and violinist, the young Wilhelm Friedemann was taught by both his father and
Johann Gottlieb Graun. Yet, having secured lucrative posts in Dresden and Halle,
he never quite lived up to expectations - composing little and gaining a reputation
more as a teacher, organ recitalist and all-round difficult customer.
The 12 polonaises date from 1765-1770 after he had quit his job as director
of music in Halle. They are recorded here for the first time. Far from being
a set of mannered dance miniatures, they are startlingly complex and expressive
works with a strong Sturm und Drang flavour. Cast in the major and minor keys
of C, D, E flat, E, F and G, each polonaise has its own individual character,
ranging from the technical brilliance of No. 3 (track 3) to the darkly dramatic
and almost filmic nature of the final G minor movement (track 12). Take time
to listen to the eighth polonaise in E minor (track 8), with its rough, plucky
rhythms and exotic, eastern European feel.
Bach’s short Fantasia in D minor also packs a weighty punch. In just
over five minutes, it traverses a wide range of emotions within a complex fugal
structure. Equally fascinating is the short Sonata in E flat major, which also
receives its recording debut. Unlike the Polonaises and Fantasia, the Sonata
appeals because of its simplicity. Its easy charm and wit - listen out for
the sequence of interrupted cadences in the final Presto - perhaps better reflect
the kindly nature of the man in the portrait on the front cover. The only disappointment
is soloist Siegbert Rampe’s decision to play the sonata on a tangent
piano - a hybrid clavichord/fortepiano. Briefly popular in the German-speaking
lands in the late eighteenth century, the instrument just sounds odd to modern
ears, which yearn for the sonata to be played on either one or the other.
John-Pierre Joyce