Kirnberger reviews

Johannes Pramsohler (violin); Ensemble Diderot (Audax)

The paradoxical nature of Frederick the Great could hardly be better summarised than by a contemporary who remarked that he ‘weeps when reading a scene from Racine or when moved by the loyalty of his soldiers’. A court that attracted musical talent like that of CPE Bach or men of letters such as Voltaire must have been anything but dull and Frederick himself, for all his stubborn ways, was susceptible to progressive thinking of the time.

 

Flautists tend to know that Quantz gave flute lessons to Frederick the Great and that he wrote about 300 concertos for the instrument. Only a few of these concertos have been easily accessible in print or on disc. However, in this welcome recording of five Quantz concertos, flautist Rachel Brown seems the perfect ambassador to bring a few of these unfamiliar but intriguing works back into the repertoire.

Bach was very active as a teacher in Leipzig, especially towards the end of his life, and he attracted some talented pupils, though none with the precocious gifts of his own musical sons. The Bach clan does not feature in this interesting programme, though Goldberg’s Sonata in C was long attributed to Bach himself. Goldberg is perhaps the most striking of the group; his style is expressive and his writing skilful with a degree of individuality.

I very much enjoyed an earlier disc of music by Bach’s sons, played by harpsichordist Christine Schornsheim and the Berlin Barock-Compagney. Their new release is of comparable merit, though further off the beaten track. What Kirnberger, Müthel and Nichelmann had in common was their music teacher, JS Bach. Kirnberger has a further significance in that he preserved, copied, annotated and transmitted Bach’s music. Müthel, Bach’s last pupil, was perhaps a more interesting composer and certainly a more original one.