Search - Johann Bernhard Bach, Thomas Hengelbrock, Freiburger Barockorchester :: Bach, Johann Bernhard: 4 Orchestral Suites / Hengelbrock

Telemannesque suites by a cousin of J. S. Bach

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 08/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These four orchestral suites are not the famous ones by the illustrious Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Rather, these were written by his much lesser-known cousin Johann Bernhard Bach (1676-1749), who was organist and harpsichordist in Erfurt, Magdeburg and Eisenach successively and was, presumably, a pupil of Pachelbel and a colleague of Telemann, to whom he seems to be indebted for the mixed form of French suite and Italian scoring. In fact, if I had to characterize the music on this CD, I would have to say "Telemann-esque". Which is probably a compliment; at any rate, this music was copied (obviously for performance) by Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Carl Philipp Emanuel around 1730.



Suites No. 1 and 3 are for strings only, in Suites No. 2 and 4 there are additional winds (two oboes and a bassoon). The Freiburger Barockorchester is one of Germany's leading period instrument ensembles, and here it is directed by Thomas Hengelbrock from the violin. The distribution in the strings is eight violins, two violas, two cellos and a double bass; in the first suite Gottfried von der Goltz is able to distinguish himself with some excellent concertante violin-playing. Torsten Johann's harpsichord (reconstructed after a North German model) sounds wonderful and is played with great esprit.



The recordings were made in the Reformed Church at Arlesheim, Switzerland, in 1990 and 1991, and the sound is excellent. The CD has developed into something of a favorite with German classical radio stations, where I have often heard excerpts. Anyone who enjoys Telemann and/or Bach will not be disappointed here."