Bach: Six Trio Sonatas, after BWV 525-530, arranged for instruments - The King's Consort

Bach’s Six Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-530, were originally written as practice works for his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann (b.1710), when Wilhelm was learning the organ. Here they are reimagined and transformed into colourful, expressive, instrumental works.
Filmed during recording sessions in February 2023, harpsichordist and conductor Robert King provides background to this music and its historical setting. It was Bach himself who founded the tradition of transcribing his own music for varying instrumental groupings - a practice that was to be taken up by many later composers, including Mozart. Creating six substantial new chamber works, Robert King has arranged and adapted Bach’s six organ sonatas to involve a range of instrumental colours. From a pool of five melody instruments he has selected pairs of instruments most suited to each particular sonata: two violins; oboe and violin; violin and viola; oboe and viola; and the unusually rich combination of oboe d’amore and viola. These melody instruments are underpinned with a similarly diverse continuo accompaniment of cello, theorbo, harpsichord and chamber organ.
In the hands of an outstanding group of instrumentalists - violinists Kati Debretzeni and Huw Daniel, violist Rose Redgrave, oboe and oboe d’amore player Frances Norbury, and the equally experienced continuo team of Robin Michael (cello), Eligio Quinteiro (theorbo) and Robert King (harpsichord and organ) - these sonatas bring a deliciously intimate and conversational quality to Bach’s music that is quite distinct to that achieved at the organ. The addition of chordal instruments to the bass line also creates a very different harmonic foundation for the melody instruments. Across six wonderfully varied sonatas, the resultant rich harmonic and instrumental palette brings virtuoso playing that showcases Bach's melodic and harmonic genius.
Filmed in Alpheton New Maltings - a venue which enables recordings of exceptional clarity and warmth - by award-winning producer/engineer David Hinitt, here is a fascinating short documentary outlining how Bach’s brilliant music has been given new colours.
REPERTOIRE
Sonata in G major, after BWV 530 (two violins : cello, theorbo, harpsichord)
Sonata in D minor, after BWV 527 (oboe, violin : cello, theorbo, organ)
Sonata in E minor, after BWV 528 (oboe d’amore, viola : cello, theorbo, organ)
Sonata in D minor, after BWV 526 (violin, viola : cello, theorbo, harpsichord)
Sonata in C major, after BWV 529 (oboe, viola : cello, theorbo, harpsichord)
Sonata in D major, after BWV 525 (two violins : cello, theorbo, harpsichord)
THE KING’S CONSORT
Kati Debretzeni, Huw Daniel violin
Rose Redgrave viola
Robin Michael cello
Frances Norbury oboe & oboe d’amore
Eligio Quinteiro theorbo
Robert King harpsichord & chamber organ
The CD recording will be released on the VIVAT label from 22 September 2023.
Catalogue: VIVAT 123
Also in high-resolution download from www.vivatmusic.com