About Musica Antiqua Köln

• Biography

About Reinhard Goebel

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

One wonders what J. S. Bach, the great contrapuntalist, would have thought of these concertos by four of his sons. Three are full of Rococo charm but offer precious little in the way of intricate polyphony. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Concerto for Harpsichord and Fortepiano stands out for its dramatic intensity and melodic quirkiness, but even it is more a part of the emerging Classical style than of the late Baroque. In any case, though posterity has clearly favored the profundities of Johann Sebastian's work, there is still much to enjoy here. Johann Christian Bach's music was admired by Mozart, and his Sinfonia Concertante has a final Rondeau of truly Mozartean sweetness and grace. The fast movements of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's Flute Concerto have an invigorating rhythmic energy, and the exquisite Larghetto Cantabile of Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach's Concerto for Fortepiano and Viola has the potential to be at least a minor 18th-century hit. The performances by Musica Antiqua Köln are vital and stylish. Perhaps their previous volume of Bachiana -- focusing on the music of J. S. Bach's predecessors -- was more revelatory, but this beautifully recorded disc is an absolute delight. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating: