JS BACH SONATAS BWV 1027|1028|1029 - CANUTI, BAGARIA

J. S. BACH SONATAS BWV 1027-1028-1029 (CVLD222)

Composer: J. S. BACH
Performers: S. CANUTI, E. BAGARIA

Available in: HD Files, CD

Tracks

01 - Sonata in G major BWV1027_ Adagio
02 - Sonata in G major BWV1027_ Allegro ma non troppo
03 - Sonata in G major BWV1027_ Andante
04 - Sonata in G major BWV1027_ Allegro moderato
05 - Sonata in D minor BWV1028_ Adagio
06 - Sonata in D minor BWV1028_ Allegro
07 - Sonata in D minor BWV1028_ Andante
08 - Sonata in D minor BWV1028_ Allegro
09 - Sonata in G minor BWV1029_ Vivace
10 - Sonata in G minor BWV1029_ Adagio
11 - Sonata in G minor BWV1029_ Allegro

Notes

Classical. Original compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Stefano Canuti bassoon, Enrique Bagaria piano.
24bit/88.2kHz recording made at Sala Luis Galve, Auditorium in Saragozza, September 2011. 

The choice of instrumentation for performing so-called "ancient" repertoire is always a delicate issue. Is it permissible to interpret this repertoire with instruments for which it was not directly conceived? A direct and legitimate answer to this dilemma is provided by listening to this recording; and another, as valid as it is complementary, is offered by the very history of music.
The second statement could be supported by a multitude of examples, from which it can be deduced that the instrumentation of instrumental repertoire was modified both by the will of the performers, who created their own manuscript versions, and by the composers themselves, who legitimate the changes in their printed editions and left the scores "open", so that the will of the performers encountered no impediment and they could improvise.
Without going too far, we could highlight that, in the same period in which the three sonatas that are the subject of this recording were composed, Johann Sebastian Bach adapted trio sonatas originally conceived for two flutes or two violins and basso continuo for viola da gamba and harpsichord. In this regard, one could also point out the particular case of work BWV 1027a, a transcription for organ of the last movement of the first sonata on this disc; or extreme examples, such as the usual arrangements of works by other composers, less frequent in Bach, but certainly significant, such as BVW 93 and 94, derived from the instrumental catalog of Antonio Vivaldi (Rv 522 and 208 respectively).
The three sonatas BWV 1027, 1028 and 1029 were conceived by Johann Sebastian Bach for a well-defined ensemble: viola da gamba and harpsichord, certainly in an era prior to 1741, as also appears in his catalog, although generally, both for the style and for their particular instrumentation, they have been more concretely attributed to the period in which the Thuringian composer worked at the court of Cöthen, when he was just over thirty years old.

In this CD, Stefano Canuti, bassoon, and Enrique Bagaria, piano (two authentic virtuosos of the international concert scene) offer a fascinating and absolutely unprecedented interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's 3 immortal masterpieces.