The sons of Bach have prodigious talent, at least some of them, so that even if they were not the sons of Bach we would likely be listening to them still. C.P.E. is a real talent of course, as is J.C. and even W.F.!
There is a nice volume just out that frames such things in the right spirit. It is pianist David Murray and his recording of the Wurttemberg Sonatas 4-6 by C.P.E. Bach and a Keyboard Sonata by W.F. Bach (MSR Classics MS1716).
First off this one stands out through David Murray's performances, rewardingly forward moving yet also brightly phrased in legato poetics. He sounds very right.
And of the piano versions of the sonatas we hear in this volume, they are magical examples of the emergent Rococo post-Baroque. All of the works have a remarkable inventiveness, an unforced brilliance, a refreshingly alive quality. Just listen to the first movement of the WF Bach Sonata and it I hope will jump out at you. Only one copy of the sonata survived the ravages of time, and the work is as yet unpublished. That is astounding but no matter because Murray gives it all to us in ways we recognize, we are heartened by such focused concentration. And the counterpoint is delicious as it emerges in variations from the original themes, And the legato expressivity sings out to you with an contained joy that sparkles and shines like a spring sunrise.
Happily recomended!
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