Sophie Yates - Johann Christian Bach: Six Sonatas, Op.5 (2009)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 410 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 160 Mb | Artwork included
Classical | Label: Chandos (Chaconne Series) | # CHAN0762 | Time: 01:07:48
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 410 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 160 Mb | Artwork included
Classical | Label: Chandos (Chaconne Series) | # CHAN0762 | Time: 01:07:48
Johann Christian Bach's sonatas belong so much to the domain of the fortepianist that we forget how terrific they can sound on the harpsichord; they are by turns rhythmically engaging, almost jazzy, witty, sparkling, and expressive. By most accounts Bach played both instruments with equal facility and did not leave us a stated preference for one over the other, indeed if he had one. Sophie Yates has done very well to remind us with her superb Chandos recording Johann Christian Bach: Six Sonatas, Op. 5, that the London Bach need not be heard on fortepiano to be experienced to his best advantage; one may make the case that Bach's sonatas benefit to some extent from the brightness of the older instrument. Yates is the first artist to record Bach's Op. 5 as a set on the harpsichord; the only other complete recording of Op. 5 has been done on fortepiano, yet these sonatas are most commonly heard individually or mixed up with the later, "Welcker" Sonatas, Op. 17. Although they are difficult to individually date, Bach's Op. 5 was published in 1766 and all six are thought to date from his first four years in London; in her notes, Yates correctly observes the impact of Thomas Arne on Bach's style and of the general English approach to melody. Luckily in Bach's case the Italian manner had already held sway for some time by his arrival in London in 1762, so the learning curve was not a tough road to hoe for the Padre Martini-educated master.