BACKGROUND

The upcoming release from Channel Classics C.P.E Bach Sonatas for Keyboard & Violin features four sonatas for violin and keyboard and one set of variations.

The soloists are the English violinist Rachel Podger and the South-African forte pianist and harpsichordist Kristian Bezuidenhout.

Spanning several decades, the five compositions featured in the recording reveal the development of C.P.E. Bach from respectful follower of his father, J.S. Bach to an original composer in his own right who cultivated the Empfindsamer Stil (Sensitive Style) that began to bridge the Baroque and Classical eras and to more frequently use the cembalo and the fortepiano in place of the harpsichord.

THE MUSIC

Sonata in G minor for harpsichord and violin; Sonata in C minor for fortepiano and violin; Arioso with variations for cembalo and violin; Sonata in B Minor; Sonata in D Major for harpsichord and violin.

THE PERFORMANCES

Impeccably executed technically by both artists, with Ms. Podger drawing lovely sounds from her 1739 Pesarinius violin and Bezuidenhout, her superbly supple partner sharing the melodic tasks in each of the five compositions featured in the recording, C.P.E. Bach’s music comes across unencumbered by interpretive capriciousness and always faithful to the style of the period.

THE RECORDING

Produced by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood and engineered by Jared Sacks

Rafael de Acha © 2023