Two dozen Bach concertos

Abstract

Johann Sebastian Bach left us many concertos for various instruments, along with fewer orchestral pieces without soloists. Some of the music was arranged from now-lost originals for other instruments. Following Bach’s example, there has been a long history of making further Bach concerto arrangements and reconstructions from precious scraps and clues, renewing the music for different instrumentation. In this review, we examine some of the newest projects along those lines, all recorded on period instruments or reproductions. Aapo Häkkinen and the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra have produced two outstanding discs of six of the Bach harpsichord concertos bwv1052–7 on Concerti à Cembalo Concertato: Harpsichord concertos vol.1 (Aeolus ae-10057, rec 2012, 65′) and Concerti à Cembalo Concertato: Harpsichord concertos vol.2 (Aeolus ae-10067, rec 2013, 62′). The orchestra plays with single strings, a nearly inaudible organ continuo, and two recorders (in bwv1057, Bach’s harpsichord arrangement of the fourth Brandenburg Concerto). A big draw is Häkkinen’s harpsichord: a very large one with two soundboards, built in 1970 by Rutkowski and Robinette for Igor Kipnis, who named it ‘Big Red’. It sounds magnificent here, with its strong bass giving a driving impulse to the whole ensemble. One uncommon thing about Häkkinen’s delivery is his tendency to play many single-note melodic ornaments in the right hand before the beat, rather than starting on the beat; he makes it sound convincing, and arguably more French.