Bach, C.P.E. - Keyboard Concertos Vol 11

of CPE Bach will doubtlessly be as warmly welcomed by collectors as the previous issues. Performances are by the usual forces of Miklós Spányi and the Concerto Armonico directed by Péter Szüts. As with recent volumes, Miklós Spányi performs here on a "tangent" piano, a wonderful sounding instrument that represents a transition between harpsichord and fortepiano, combining something of the sonic attributes of the former with the dynamic range of the latter.

It is difficult for us today to understand how composers of earlier generations could be so prolific and it is sometimes tempting to mutter something about "more of the same". This is by no means true of Emanuel Bach's vast œuvre and this current disc gives a good indication of the range of the composer's musical ideas, as it contains concertos separated by two decades as well as works which were very much conceived with a "popular" audience in mind. Though Emanuel Bach worked at court he was also one of the pioneers of "public" concerts and was well aware of the fact that the less musically educated general public wanted preferably to hear music that it could recognize! (Whereas at court there were people of much greater musical sophistication in the audience.) This disc gives proof of Bach's skill in catering for both types of audience. And it is, of course, a joy to listen to: expertly performed on period instruments and beautifully recorded. (The liner notes, by the editors of the new complete edition of the keyboard works of CPE Bach, are full of interesting observations too.)