Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788)
The Solo Keyboard Music - Vol. 24
Sonata in D major, Wq62/3 (H 22) [14:46]
Sonata in D minor, Wq62/4 (H 38) [17:12]
Sonata in E major, Wq62/5 (H 39) [18:59]
Sonata in B minor, Wq65/13 (H 32.5) [19:35]
Miklós Spányi (clavichord)
rec. February 2011, Keizersaal, Sint-Truiden, Belgium.
BIS CD-1764 [72:14]
As I’ve been following this series of C.P.E. Bach’s solo keyboard
music over the years, I’ve constantly been amazed by the quality of
his compositions, and the wide range of styles that he used. BIS and Spányi
cover music composed over many decades, and this release happens to coincide
with the time that Bach married Johanna Maria Dannemann in 1744. These works,
written between 1740 and 1744, are from the time that Bach worked for Crown
Prince Frederick of Prussia, the future Frederick the Great.
I find it interesting to compare C.P.E.’s music to that of later composers
such as Haydn and Mozart. When you listen to Haydn’s works for keyboard,
or even his symphonies, they are made up of a number of small melodic phrases
that are developed and varied. With C.P.E. the music is like a discourse.
For example, the Allegretto of Sonata in D minor, Wq62/4 progresses from an
opening exposition through a series of developments that sound as though the
music were telling a story. Bach’s music sounds extemporaneous, as though
he were sitting at the keyboard - here a clavichord - just riffing on some
tunes he thought up. His inventiveness and rhythm are unique, and all of his
music bears a certain feeling of individuality.
Many of his keyboard sonatas contain long movements that, on this disc, are
often 6 minutes or more; other keyboard sonatas have movements that are more
than ten minutes. Contrast that with Johann Sebastian Bach, whose works generally
have movements that are 5 minutes or less, with some exceptions. In these
long movements, C.P.E. Bach is able to expand on his ideas and develop them,
and he never seems hurried, nor do these extended movements sound like filler.
Take the first movement of Sonata in B minor, Wq65/13, at nearly 8 minutes
long. Bach composed this, along with five other sonatas, while taking a cure
at the spa of Teplitz. The mere idea of composing a half-dozen sonatas while
taking a cure suggests that Bach was not much for lazing around. Its use of
hemiola is somewhat different from his more “gallant” works, showing
that he was interested not only in attractive melodies, but also in seeking
out new forms and techniques.
As always, the recording quality is excellent. Spányi plays an attractive
clavichord and the sound is balanced and detailed.
With yet another wonderful disc of C.P.E. Bach’s keyboard sonatas, Miklós
Spányi continues his traversal of this long and rich series of works.
If you know and like this music, you’ll probably want to get this latest
release. If not, this is as good a place as any to discover this music.
Kirk McElhearn
Kirk writes about more than just music on his blog Kirkville.
Another attractive recording of C.P.E. Bach’s solo keyboard music on
clavichord.