C P E Bach - Complete Keyboard Concertos, Volume 17

Two of the works on this disc, the Concertos in F major and in E flat major, were composed soon after Bach’s move to Hamburg. The Concerto in C minor had been composed some 20 years earlier and the composer himself described it as ‘one of my showpieces’, implying that he performed it regularly. In Hamburg, Bach adapted to the strong musical traditions of the time, including a particular love for the harpsichord..

In an interesting essay in the booklet to this disc, Miklós Spányi discusses this background, explaining his reasons for performing two of the works on the tangent piano, and the third on the harpsichord. The previous installment of Spányi’s highly regarded series was described by Classic FM Magazine as ‘bubbling with life in BIS’s crisp recorded sound.’