Mahan Esfahani, Britten Sinfoni: Bach: The Complete Keyboard Concertos CD

‘Never has Bach seemed less dry and more full of fantasy’ (The Telegraph) Mahan Esfahani’s mammoth project to record the complete keyboard works of Bach reaches its zenith with The Complete Keyboard Concertos. At every stage in the series Esfahani has sought to challenge long-held assumptions about the composer we seek to know. By teaming up with the Britten Sinfonia, he dispels any assumptions that the harpsichord might be seen as an ‘ancient’ instrument, eschewing period instruments in favour of modern ones. In his typically scholarly but engaging liner notes Esfahani writes of Bach the trendsetter putting the keyboard front and centre in a concerto for the first time. In addition to his roles as harpsichordist and director, Esfahani adds a compositional feather to his cap with the first recording of his own reconstruction of the “lost concerto” No 8 (BWV1059), once available only as a small fragment.

CD tracklist:

CD 1
Keyboard Concerto No 1 in D minor BWV1052
1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Allegro
Keyboard Concerto No 2 in E major BWV1053
4. [untitled]
5. Siciliano
6. Allegro
Keyboard Concerto No 3 in D major BWV1054
7. [untitled]
8. Adagio e piano sempre
9. Allegro
Keyboard Concerto No 6 in F major BWV1057
Michala Petri (recorder), Ian Wilson (recorder)
10. [untitled]
11. Andante
12. Allegro assai

CD 2
Keyboard Concerto No 4 in A major BWV1055
1. Allegro
2. Larghetto
3. Allegro ma non tanto
Keyboard Concerto No 5 in F minor BWV1056
4. Allegro
5. Adagio
6. Presto
Triple Concerto in A minor BWV1044
Jacqueline Shave (violin), Thomas Hancox (flute)
7. Allegro
8. Adagio ma non tanto e dolce
9. Tempo di alla breve
Keyboard Concerto No 7 in G minor BWV1058
10. [untitled]
11. Andante
12. Allegro assai
Keyboard Concerto No 8 in D minor BWV1059
Mahan Esfahani (b1984)
Peter Facer (oboe)
13. Allegro
14. Cembalo ad libitum
15. Presto