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The English Baroque Soloists» More |
The second movement introduces a new concept in Bach’s concertos: here there is a close dialogue between the solo group and the tutti in which the contrast is highlighted by dynamics rather than melodic material. The piece thus plays on the concepts of repetition, together with light and shade. With the final movement we hear yet another interpretation of the concerto style: the opening ritornello is essentially a fugue, the subject of which can subsequently be used in a variety of ways. Indeed there are only a few places where it is entirely absent. Thus the expected contrast of ritornello and episode is replaced by frequent contrasts of instrumentation, the fuller expositions of the subject providing the tutti sonority usually associated with the ritornello. Furthermore another traditional feature of the concerto – virtuosity – is provided by the violin part, something which by its very nature turns a fugue – brilliant enough on its own terms – into a dazzling concerto movement.
from notes by John Butt © 2013
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 'These are undeniably Brandenburgs of flair and understanding' (Gramophone) 'The ensemble playing is a model of cohesive teamwork, but the players also shine as individuals in the many virtuoso solo passages peppered throughou ...» More |