Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Concertos for Flute, Strings and Basso Continuo | 1738-40

The period of the “Gallant musical style“ and the beginning of classicism brought woodwinds and their players to their peak. They became indispensable and very important members of the symphony orchestra and over time secured the titles of the most popular solo instruments. What most marked the woodwind section were the lightness, rhythmicity and most of all, the coloristic sonority of the ensemble. In Germany, this period was marked by several major musical figures from the court of Frederick the Great and the musical life there, among whom, in addition to Johann Joachim Quantz, Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach was the most important Berlin composer of that time. Carl Philipp left very important and unusual compositions for the flute and the entire flautist history and development path. Concerto for flute and orchestra in D minor, Wq 22 00:00:00 1. Allegro (Wq 22) 00:08:40 2. Un poco andante (Wq 22) 00:17:33 3. Allegro di molto (Wq 22) Concerto for flute and orchestra in A minor, Wq 166 00:23:48 4. Allegro assai (Wq 166) 00:33:07 5. Andante (Wq 166) 00:40:53 6. Allegro assai (Wq 166) Concerto for flute and orchestra in B flat major, Wq 167 00:48:16 7. Allegretto (Wq 167) 00:56:30 8. Adagio (Wq 167) 01:03:52 9. Allegro Assai (Wq 167) Concerto for flute and orchestra in B flat major, Wq 164 01:10:18 10. Allegretto (Wq 164) 01:18:14 11. Largo E Mesto (Wq 164) 01:26:22 12. Allegro Moderato (Wq 164) King Frederick II of Prussia was not only an enlightened person, but also a great lover of music and that he loved to play the flute in front of his courtiers. He could not resist the music of Carl Philipp Emmanuel, so he invited him to the court as a harpsichordist as a member of the royal orchestra. That’s why Carl Philipp Emanuel’s repertoire includes so many flute compositions, including these 4 concertos you’re listening right now. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, born March 8, 1714 was a Saxony musician and composer and the second of five sons of Johann Sebastian Bach and his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Galant style, composing during Rococo and the beginning of the Classical period. When he was ten years old he entered the St. Thomas School at Leipzig, where his father had been appointed cantor in 1723, and continued his education as a student of jurisprudence at the universities of Leipzig (1731) and of Frankfurt (1735). At the age of 24, he took his degree, but at once abandoned his prospects of a legal career and determined to devote himself to music. A few months later, on the recommendation of Sylvius L. Weiss, he obtained an appointment in the service of the Frederick II of Prussia, then crown prince, and upon Frederick’s accession to King in 1740, Carl Philipp became a member of the royal orchestra. He was by this time heralded as one of the foremost clavier-players in Europe, and his compositions, which date from 1731, include about thirty sonatas and concert pieces for harpsichord and clavichord. In Berlin he continued to write numerous musical pieces for solo keyboard, including a series of character pieces – the so-called “Berlin Portraits“ including La Caroline. His reputation was established by the two sets of sonatas which he dedicated respectively to Frederick the Great and to the grand duke of Württemberg. In 1746 he was promoted to the post of chamber musician, and for twenty-two years shared with Carl Heinrich Graun, J. J. Quantz, and Johann Gottlieb Naumann the continued favour of the king. During his residence in Berlin, he wrote a fine setting of the Magnificat (1749), in which he shows more traces than usual of his father’s influence; an Easter cantata (1756); several symphonies and concerted works; at least three volumes of songs; and a few secular cantatas and other occasional pieces. But his main work was concentrated on the clavier, and he composed nearly two hundred sonatas and other solos, including the set “Mit veränderten Reprisen“ (1760-1768). Meanwhile he placed himself in the forefront of European critics by his “Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen“, a systematic and masterly treatise which by 1780 had reached its third edition, and which laid the foundation for the methods of Muzio Clementi and Johann Cramer. In 1768 Bach succeeded Telemann as Kapellmeister in Hamburg, and in consequence of his new office began to turn his attention more towards church music. The next year he produced his remarkable oratorio “Die Israeliten in der Wüste“, and between 1769 and 1788 added over twenty settings of the Passion, and some seventy cantatas, litanies, motets, and other liturgical pieces. At the same time, his genius for instrumental composition was further stimulated by the career of Franz Joseph Haydn. Performed by: Eckart Haupt, flute “Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach“ Chamber Orchestra Hartmut Haenchen, conductor Serbian: Russian: