Bach, J S: Flute Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, BWV1031

Fans of Angela Hewitt will be delighted to find her in chamber mode, accompanying Andrea Oliva (described as ‘one of the best flutists of his generation, a shining star in the world of the flute’ by Sir James Galway) in a programme of J S Bach’s flute sonatas (including one by his most famous and talented son, CPE). Of unfailingly remarkable quality, all these works exploit the full potential of an instrument which was only just coming into its own when they were written. Oliva’s lyricism and agility coupled with Hewitt’s musicianship—not to mention her lifelong rapport with Bach’s music—make this an album to treasure.

These flute sonatas were written between about 1720 and 1741 at a time when the recorder was being superseded by the transverse flute. After about 1725 compositions specifically for or including recorder became increasingly rare, and these works are a celebration by Bach of the technical and expressive qualities and tonal colours newly available to him.

These are elegant and stylish performances, the use of authentic flutes adding a rich and mellow beauty to the quality of the sound.

Emmanuel Pahud follows his release of newly composed concertos by Marc André Dalbavie, Michael Jarrell and Matthias Pintscher with a programme comprising the complete flute sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to the sonatas BWV 1020, 1030-1035 and the Trio Sonata BWV 1039, Pahud performs the popular Partita for Solo Flute in A Minor, BWV 1013. His partner, at the harpsichord, is the renowned period instrument soloist and conductor Trevor Pinnock.

With the juxtaposition of these two releases, Pahud, one of today’s most exciting and adventurous musicians, demonstrates his mastery of and sympathy for music composed nearly three centuries apart.

Bach is believed to have composed his flute sonatas BWV 1030-1035 between the 1720s and 1741, following the innovation of the transverse flute, the instrument that superseded the recorder. After Johann Joachim Quantz demonstrated the new instrument throughout Europe in the early 1720s, Bach celebrated its technical and expressive qualities and newly available tonal colours in this series of sonatas, which are among his best known chamber works. He also featured the flute in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and in the Benedictus of the Mass in B Minor.

The first three of the six sonatas, BWV 1030-1032, are three-movement obligato sonatas in which Bach wrote out the right hand notes to the accompaniment; BWV 1033-1035, by contrast, are continuo sonatas in four movements in which the composer provided only the bass line of the accompaniment. Jonathan Manson is the cellist in the continuo sonatas.

There is some debate over the provenance of the Sonata BWV 1020 in G Minor, which some believe was composed by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, rather than by his father. C.P.E. Bach, however, gave the credit to his father. The sonata is played today by both flutists and violinists. Silvia Careddu is the second flautist in the Trio Sonata BWV 1039 in G Major, composed in 1720. The earliest work in Pahud’s programme is the Partita for Solo Flute BWV 1013, composed in 1718.

Emmanuel Pahud, Principal Flute of the Berliner Philharmoniker since the age of 22, with the exception of a year-and-a-half-long sabbatical, has also appeared as soloist with many of the world’s other leading orchestras under conductors including Abbado, Rattle, Zinman, Maazel, Gergiev, Gardiner, Harding, Järvi, Pinnock, Jordan and the late Mstislav Rostropovich. He gives recitals with pianists Eric Le Sage, Yefim Bronfman and Hélène Grimaud and performs jazz with Jacky Terrasson. Pahud appears regularly at the major festivals in Europe, North America and the Far East.

Since signing an exclusive solo recording contract with EMI Classics in 1996, Emmanuel Pahud has recorded a broad range of repertoire to wide critical acclaim. Sales of his CDs number in excess of 400,000 worldwide. His EMI discography is set to be one of the most significant contributions to recorded flute music. In addition to the Dalbavie, Jarrell and Pintscher concertos, other recent releases include the Nielsen Flute Concerto (and Wind Quintet) with the Berliner Philharmoniker/Simon Rattle and the Brahms Clarinet Sonatas (arranged for flute) and the Reinecke Flute Sonata with Yefim Bronfman.

A previous (2001) Bach recording with the Berliner Barock Solisten won Pahud the Echo Klassik award while Gramophone praised the “stylish performances, with excellent choices of tempo, awareness of the character of the dances … buoyant rhythms and beautiful shaping of phrases… very fine Bach playing, to be wholeheartedly recommended.”

Trevor Pinnock is an internationally acclaimed harpsichordist and conductor and a pioneer of historical instrument performance with The English Concert, an orchestra that he founded in 1972 and led for the next thirty years. He currently divides his time between conducting, performing as soloist and chamber musician and educational projects.

In 2008-2009, Emmanuel Pahud and Trevor Pinnock will perform the Bach sonatas in Japan, Korea, Europe (Vienna, Paris, Hamburg, Copenhagen and London) and the U.S., including Carnegie Hall. Other 2008-2009 performance highlights for Pahud include European tours with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra/Marc Minkowski and with the Franz Liszt Kammerorchester, as well as the American premiere of the Dalbavie Flute Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi.

“Pahud’s playing is always crisp and stylish, whether in virtuoso display or in more tender passages where the flute traces a line of filigree delicacy.” The Daily Telegraph

The clavichord enjoyed widespread popularity during the 18th century and was particularly appreciated in the Germanic countries. With its soft sound and extremely sensitive ‘dynamic’ keyboard, we are immersed in a particularly intimate relationship with the music. This programme is created around the Bach family and features works for flute and keyboard obligato, which are richer and denser than those with continuo.

Here is a CD that places imagination and instrumental mastery at the service of superb music.

Leading international flutist Marina Piccinini pairs with the Brasil Guitar Duo for unique arrangements of J. S. Bach’s popular Flute Sonatas.

One of the world’s leading flute virtuosos, Marina Piccinini presents unique transcriptions of Bach’s evergreen Flute Sonatas. Eschewing the typical piano or harpsichord accompaniment, Marina records these works as never before with a pair of guitars. And what better partners could Marina have than the Brasil Guitar Duo, winners of the 2006 Concert Artists Guild International Competition (New York), whose “maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity … is simply outstanding,” according to Classical Guitar Magazine. It’s a natural combo for the Brazilian-Italian Marina, and this popular repertoire played on popular instruments serves the music exceptionally well. Rounding out the 2-CD set is Marina’s exquisite version of the Solo Partita in A minor.

"Marina Piccinini’s flute-playing is very special, her lyrical phrasing cool, exquisitely shaped and with an underlying delicate sensuality." Gramophone

"Gorgeous tone, rock-solid rhythm, beautiful phrasing, and no identifiable technical flaws. This is great playing." American Record Guide (on the Brasil Guitar Duo)

Joshua Smith is aptly known for his “gorgeous sound, bracing virtuosity, and breathtaking lyricism.” His collaborator Jory Vinikour — whose new Delos set of Handel suites has already received raves from Gramophone and others — remarks on Joshua’s “innate musical sensitivity and his absolutely unparalleled range of dynamics and articulation.” In the album notes James A.Winn provides a fitting summary: “As these fresh performances show, the sonatas themselves are an endlessly renewable resource, an opportunity for the flutist and the harpsichord player to engage with a composer whose creative gift, though shaped by his particular time, continues to resonate in ours.”