Two New Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
No, Bach didn’t return from the dead last year to provide us with new music, but the Bach Archiv in Leipzig did authenticate two keyboard pieces (BWV 1178 in D minor and BWV 1179 in G minor) originating from the pen of Johann Sebastian.
The announcement was met with an impromptu performance by Ton Koopman on the organ in St. Thomas’s in Leipzig.
I remember seeing the video alongside the announcement and felt the performances weren’t as polished as might be. Benjamin Alard, thankfully, provides us renditions on harpsichord and clavichord in a digital release for Harmonia Mundi, which seems appropriate, given his journey to record all of Bach’s keyboard music. The Chaconne and Fugue in D minor, in particular, benefits from a sustaining and bright harpsichord.
Koopman’s performances are a bit more extravagant, especially so given his desire to maximize the abilities of the Bach organ. These performances by Alard are more personal, if not better polished.
Many comments online speak to the style of these pieces, which feels to me as if they come from the same pen. While they are a bit more free and Italiante in nature, there are other pieces, too by Bach, that stand out in this way. I am by far no expert and trust the scholarship of Peter Wollny who authenticated these works. And while no doubt, new performances will join Alard’s here, I find these two satisfying.
