Rousset: W.F. Bach – Oeuvres pour clavecin (FLAC)

Performer: Christophe Rousset
Composer: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks+cue)
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Size: 482 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# Keyboard Sonata in A major, F. 8 (BR A15)
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

# Work(s) Fantasia en ut mineur, FK nv2
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

# Prelude for keyboard in C minor, F. 29 (BR A54)
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

# March for harpsichord in E flat major, F. 30 (BR A56)
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

# Suite for keyboard in G minor, F. 24 (BR A39)
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

# Fugues (8) for keyboard, F. 31 (BR A81-88)
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

# Keyboard Sonata in G major, F. 7 (BR A14)
Composed by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
with Christophe Rousset

W. F. Bach: Works for harpsicord

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784), considered by many the most talented of J. S. Bach’s children, is also the least known of the great master’s three composing sons. In contrast to his father’s orderly, wholesome and responsible lifestile, Wilhelm Friedemann’s was erratic and characterized by excesses. Add to that a puzzling inability to “market” himself, and you will easily understand why this (in my, and many other’s opinion) genius ended his life in abject powerty.

Christophe Rousset is a young harpsicordist and director of chamber orchestra, specialized in baroque music. His great passion for the music of this period and for his instrument, the harpsicord, is clearly visible also in the liner notes in the CDs booklet, where a disproportionately large paragraph is dedicated to elaborating on the choice of harpsicord vs. piano for this recording. By the way, one should be happy to even get a booklet for a CD of this price.

The CD seems like an excellent introduction into W. F. Bach’s opus. Rousset plays passionately and lovingly, and is, in spite of the instrument (which allows for less expressiveness than the piano), very involved and involving. Even though I am usually more of the opinion that the old masters should be played on the piano (for the simple reason that I like it more), I have to admit that I enjoyed this CD a lot.