Bach: Die Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079 by Ensemble Barockin'

Bach's offering, of course, was a collection of pieces he prepared after a visit to Frederick the Great, where his son Carl Phillip Emannuel was employed, printed at his own expense, built upon a rather chromatic theme the king had given him to extemporize upon during his visit.

It's a rather fun story, to consider how someone with great power was able to try and humble a well-known and celebrated musical heavyweight with a challenge. "So you can create fugues on the fly? Try solving this puzzle, old Bach!"

While much ink has been spilled on the meeting of the two men, it is impossible to say what the attitude of the king was toward Bach, who might well have been seen to harbor old taste in music. And we know nothing about the reaction of the king, upon receiving this musical offering after the visit had faded in his memory. The treat, of course, is ours, to witness Bach's abilities in composing quickly around thematic material.

It's nearly minimalist.

I don't know much about this ensemble. The album was recorded in 2017 and I wanted to review it in light of discovering if there was something new to discover with a piece that's been recorded already many times by HIP ensembles.

They emerge after the opening Ricercar à 3 on harpsichord as an articulate group: the other instrumentalists each play with a lot of grit. While I imagine some may not like this almost heavy-handed approach with regard to articulation, I find it refreshing. Their readings, however, of each canon for my own taste are too short. One of the reasons I have long admired Sonnerie's recording (Huggett, dir.) is because of the way they really try to fully explore each of the miniatures. Just presenting the piecs once almost seems too stingy, especially when the album clocks in at 45:02 for Ensemble Barockin'.

While Bach's major achievement, it could be argued, was the six-part ricercar (read: fugue) with the so-called royal theme, I think the centerpiece of the work which was the masterstroke was Bach's inclusion of a trio sonata in four movements. It is, without doubt, Bach's most galante writing for an authenticated piece by him. He little doubt saw the sonata as something the king himself could be featured in as one of the treble voices, speaking, as it were, more of the king's own language.

While Bach's son would have been plenty familiar with the new style, it is difficult to say what Bach thought of the more melodic and light style of music writing. The fact he could imitate it, however, speaks not only to his understanding of current musical style, but his ability to nevertheless integrate counterpoint into that style in a way that had to be impressive to any who had cared to study it.

In total, I think Ensemble Barockin' has a rather rock and shock method to their aesthetic which is never over done and made me smile. I'd say the style, best, would be "confidence."

I am less confident, however, that you'll enjoy the album due to the quality of the recording, which suffers from the proximity of the mikes to the players. The cello part many times sounds too boomy and while the violin speaks well almost throughout the album, the harpsichord can get lost and the flute doesn't fair nearly as promiinately in the ensemble. It's a shame.

That and the stingy presentation of the pieces. These players with a closer recording and some more imagination with exploring the pieces over multiple repeititions would have made a better album. That's why, despite good music making, I am not sure if offers something compelling in comparison with several recordings that came before it.

That said—remember the name. I think they have the potential to come up with a winner next time around. Their earlier release with music by Louis-Gabriel Guillemain had a much better and appropriate recording style. And I have little doubt that performing live that they'd be a really fun ensemble to experience.