A Musical Offering • Le Caravansérail
Violin, flute, harpsichord: Bach specifies these instruments for his famous Musical Offering to Frederick the Great. This album opens with the famous Thema Regium but this isn't another recording of BWV 1079. As the cover indicates, it features music by J.S. Bach and his sons Friedemann and Emanuel.
What's presented:
- Trio Sonata in B minor, H. 567 (transposed to C minor, the key of Bach's Musical Offering)
- Ricercar à 3, BWV 1079 (for solo harpsichord)
- Sonata in A major, BWV 1032 (transposed to G)
- Trio a 2 Flauti e cembalo, Fk 49, first movement
- Sonata for violin and keyboard, H. 503
- Sonata sopr'il soggetto Reale BWV 1079
Decorated musicians Sophie Gent (violin), Frank Theuns (flute), and Bertrand Cuiller (harpsichord) make up this version of Le Caravansérail. The album's genesis is described in this excerpt from the liner notes:
Our intention in this recording was to shed some light on the familial character and its musical consequences of Bach's visit to Potsdam and Berlin in 1747. The importance of this gathering between the three most famous members of the Bach family and the impact it had on their respective lives and careers cannot be overestimated; this was to be only for a short time for Johann Sebastian, as he would die three years later in 1750.
For me, having an album like this, highlighting the sonatas of J.S. Bach and his sons is a valuable proposition, more so than another recording of the full BWV 1079.
There's a really nice sound to this album (recorded at Saint Cybar in Pranzac) in terms of the balance between instruments. The charm was increased for me during the performance of the solo ricercar by Cuiller; the position of his instrument to the right side doesn't change, offering us a truer sense of being in the chamber with these musicians. Also of interest is the timbre of his Humeau instrument, modeled after an original by Gräbner in Dresden. His ornaments and the chosen tempo work well for me.
The liner notes address the incomplete nature of the BWV 1032 sonata, and how it was transmitted to us, with missing bars. This sonata has sometimes puzzled me; the outer movements don't have as strong a Bachian flavor to my ears as does the middle movement. There's a lightness to the work. The recording offers us a really close portrayal by Theuns. This is an authoritative performance, though students using it to inform their own playing should note that it's presented in a transposed key.
The C.P.E. Bach sonata for violin is interesting, as the notes point out, as it was written at the composer's age of 17. To think about the stylistic differences between the 1032 sonata and this one? Composed — presumably — and performed in the same space?
The short piece by W.F. Bach here is of course performed by flute and violin rather than the originally intended two flutes, but it works just as well. Maybe better? The writing can be confusing to follow if the two soloists aren't separated. This is no masterwork, but it is very affective. It confirms my belief that Friedemann was a bit more enamored by his father's style than Emanuel. It's a fun piece. The performance of the trio sonata quoting the king's theme is a good one. The opening movement is a bit slower than some of my favored performances, but it's done with intention. The second movement too lags a bit in tempo, but it doesn't negatively impact the experience. Instead, we get an especially fat tone out of Gent's Stainer violin, which is matched by the timbre of the harpsichord. I found myself relishing the sounds of the instruments. By slowing down the tempos in the first two movements, there's an opening for deeper rhetorical emphasis, which all three players take up.
The only moment I missed a cello was in the opening of the final movement; but it's only because of the familiarity of the opening lick. A strong pulse is felt throughout.
The ensemble offers us a bonus track in the form of the Canon perpetuus from the Musical Offering. It obviously fits the album's focus, but after the weightier trio sonata, it's an odd closure. But so is the Musical Offering an odd collection.
I applaud these musicians for offering us a different take on the historical trip Sebastian took to Potsdam in 1747. For those who want more, I'd recommend James Gaines' book, Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment. As far as music history books go, it isn't heavy and is more story than musical analysis.
The value you'll get from this recital, I think, is the juxtaposition of musical styles between Bach and his sons. The care they took to change keys so that the pieces better formed a whole is an interesting and pragmatic approach. And in the performance of the "big" trio sonata, the chosen tempos I found satisfying, even if I tend to prefer fleeter performances. There's a palpable sense of beat that the three achieve that I wouldn't want to lose. What Le Caravansérail have constructed is less a performance than an argument — that the trip to Potsdam reverberates differently when you hear father and sons in the same room. It's a persuasive one.
