CD Review
C.P.E. Bach: Cello Concertos, Nicolas Altstaedt, cello
- Composer
- C.P.E. Bach
- Artist
- Nicolas Altstaedt, cello; Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen
- Label
- Hyperion
- Catalogue
- CDA68112
C.P.E. Bach’s unpredictable, “fantastical” musical language is given full rein by Nicolas Altstaedt in this recording, joined by Jonathan Cohen and the period-instrument ensemble Arcangelo in performances praised on release for their energy and commitment.
Nicolas Altstaedt and the sinewy warmth of his 1760 Gigli are a great fit for this often rather wild music… Arcangelo under Cohen breathe the music, capturing the frequent storminess but also bringing substantial dignity, their zing coming from their actual tone and lucid textural balance… a great listen. Gramophone, September 2016
Whether intended for cello or harpsichord, these oeuvres are feverishly inventive. Financial Times, September 2016
About the programme
All three of C.P.E. Bach’s cello concertos are gathered here, in A minor, B flat major, and A major, works that, like much of his concertante output, he also arranged for harpsichord or flute, since instrumental interchangeability was common practice in his era. As the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach, C.P.E. Bach became one of the leading exponents of the Empfindsamer Stil, or “sensitive style,” a mid-18th-century aesthetic that prized abrupt, expressive shifts of mood over the more continuously unified textures associated with his father’s generation, a quality both the Gramophone and Financial Times quotes above single out directly.
About the performers
Nicolas Altstaedt, playing a 1760 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini cello referred to in the Gramophone review as his “Gigli,” has built a career spanning both period-instrument and modern performance. Arcangelo, the period-instrument ensemble founded and directed by Jonathan Cohen, has become one of the most closely followed British early-music groups of its generation, recording extensively for Hyperion across Baroque and early Classical repertoire.
A note on this page
No independent staff-written mmmusic review of this release survived in the archive we could recover, the original page carried the label’s own summary alongside genuine excerpted reviews from Gramophone and the Financial Times, reproduced above as they originally appeared. The “About” sections have been added for context, verified independently.
Questions about this recording
How many cello concertos did C.P.E. Bach write?
This disc presents all three of his cello concertos, in A minor, B flat major and A major, originally conceived for cello, though also playable on harpsichord or flute, as C.P.E. Bach often published his concertos for alternative instruments.
What makes C.P.E. Bach's style distinctive from his father's?
C.P.E. Bach was a leading figure of the Empfindsamer Stil ("sensitive style"), prizing sudden, unpredictable shifts of mood and dramatic contrast over the more consistently unified textures of his father J.S. Bach's music.
What did critics say about this recording?
Gramophone praised Altstaedt's 1760 Gigli cello as "a great fit for this often rather wild music" and Arcangelo's playing as bringing both storminess and dignity; the Financial Times called the concertos "feverishly inventive".
What cello does Nicolas Altstaedt play on this recording?
A 1760 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini cello, referred to in the Gramophone review as his "Gigli".
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, Hyperion's catalogue number CDA68112 remains findable through the label and classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
