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Solo Harpsichord Concerto Transcriptions by Bach of Vivaldi,

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 12/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't be misled into thinking that these are harpsichord concertos with orchestral accompaniment. No, they are solo harpsichord pieces that Bach made from others' harpsichord concerti. He made them while still a young man in Weimar who was primarily known as a virtuoso keyboard artist. It is speculated, and convincingly, that Bach made these arrangements not only for his own use in performance but primarily in order to get inside the processes that other German and Italian composers were using, a more instructive process than simply hand-copying them as was so often done in the learning process in those days. There is, of course, no better way to learn how music is made than to transcribe someone else's work for a different instrument or instruments. Most of the concertos transcribed here were for string instruments and so making them solo harpsichord pieces required some real creativity which is clearly in evidence in this recording. How he managed the tutti ritornellos and solo passages is fascinating.



Bach made sixteen solo harpsichord transcriptions and they are all included here -- six by Vivaldi, one each by Torelli, Alessandro Marcello, Benedetto Marcello and Telemann, three by Johann Ernst, and three by unknown composers. He also wrote six two-harpsichord transcriptions but they do not appear on this 2CD set. However, another work, the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 804 fills out the second CD.



Elizabeth Farr is a talented American harpsichordist who has also recorded some Bach Lautenwerk (lute-harpsichord) pieces Bach: Music for Lute-Harpsichord and a superb release of Byrd harpsichord music Byrd: My Ladye Nevells Booke. She plays modern instruments made by the outstanding maker, Keith Hill, and the instrument recorded on this 2CD set is wonderful. It has two manuals with 16' as well as 8' and 4' strings and two buff stops, giving it a grand, powerful sound and the capacity for differing timbres.



I cannot imagine why an earlier customer reviewer felt that this recording is 'dull'. I found this issue to be exciting.



Scott Morrison"