Johann Christian Bach: Woodwind Concertos (2 CD, FLAC)

Performer: Jeremy Ward, Rachel Brown, Anthony Robson
Orchestra: Hanover Band
Conductor: Anthony Halstead
Composer: Johann Christian Bach
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks+cue)
Label: CPO Records
Size: 487 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# Concerto for oboe (or flute), string orchestra & 2 horns in F major, CW C81 (T. 290/7)
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
with Anthony Robson, Hanover Band
Conducted by Anthony Halstead

# Concerto for flute & string orchestra with 2 horns (optional) in D major, CW C79 (T. 286/7)
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
with Hanover Band, Rachel Brown
Conducted by Anthony Halstead

# Concerto for bassoon & orchestra in E flat major, CW C82 (T. 288/4)
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
with Jeremy Ward, Hanover Band
Conducted by Anthony Halstead

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# Concerto for oboe, string orchestra & 2 horns in F major, CW C80 (T. 287/4) Andante
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Anthony Halstead, Anthony Robson

# Concerto for oboe, string orchestra & 2 horns in F major, CW C80 (T. 287/4) Larghetto
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Anthony Halstead, Anthony Robson

# Concerto for oboe, string orchestra & 2 horns in F major, CW C80 (T. 287/4) Rondeau: Allegretto
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Anthony Halstead, Anthony Robson

# Concerto for flute, string orchestra & 2 horns in G major, CW C78 Allegro
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Anthony Halstead, Rachel Brown

# Concerto for flute, string orchestra & 2 horns in G major, CW C78 Larghetto
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Anthony Halstead, Rachel Brown

# Concerto for flute, string orchestra & 2 horns in G major, CW C78 Tempo di Minuetto
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Anthony Halstead, Rachel Brown

# Concerto for bassoon & orchestra in B flat major, CW C83 (T. 288/1) Allegro
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Jeremy Ward, Anthony Halstead

# Concerto for bassoon & orchestra in B flat major, CW C83 (T. 288/1) Adagio
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Jeremy Ward, Anthony Halstead

# Concerto for bassoon & orchestra in B flat major, CW C83 (T. 288/1) Presto
Composed by Johann Christian Bach
Performed by Hanover Band
with Jeremy Ward, Anthony Halstead

At last, an alternative to de Larrocha

Alicia de Larrocha has held the field in this towering piece of piano literature for what seems like forever (personally, I’ve always had a soft spot for her Erato recording, the middle of her three versions). Pretenders have come and gone, but no-one has come near her innate understanding of the idiom combined with the ability to encompass all the work’s prodigious virtuoso demands, despite her relatively small hands.
Until now.
Which is not say that Marc Andre Hamelin’s performance supersedes de Larrocha. It is just different and, on its own terms, equally valid; it provides a revealing new light on the many facets of this ever-fascinating set of pieces – much praised by Messiaen amongst others. De Larrocha captures the essence of these Spanish landscapes with a crystalline brilliance that perfectly reflects the brightness and heat of the Spanish sun, the clarity of its skies and the earthiness of the land and its people. Hamelin, on the other hand, is more impressionist in his approach. He makes these works cousins to the Debussian or Ravelian view of Spain – think Debussy’s Iberia or Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole. Try the first piece of the Suite, Evocacion, for a flavour of what I mean. With Hamelin there is a little more heat-haze over the landscape than there is with de Larrocha: speeds can be a little slower, a little more languorous: there is time to take in a little more of the detail of Albeniz’s often daring harmonies as they shift and change and inner voices come to the fore. When virtuoso technique is called for (which is pretty often and not only in the louder faster pieces), Hamelin is, as you would expect, more than equal to the task – and it is never virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake, but always at the service of the music.
The extra pieces are all worth hearing and wonderfully played, if not in the same class as Iberia. The completion of Navarra makes a more balanced and satisfying piece of it than we’re used to – but why leave it to the end of the disc (where it admittedly makes an exciting finale) instead of attaching it to the end of Iberia here it really belongs? That quibble aside, this is a highly commendable disc. Hamelin has clearly thought through his interpretations very carefully and presents a thrilling range of colour, harmony and melody – though I wouldn’t want to be without one of the de Larrocha performances as well.