NEWLY REISSUED • PRESSED ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME

The LP issue of a favourite Brilliant Classics recording: Recorder Concertos by J.S. Bach played by Erik Bosgraaf and Ensemble Cordevento.

Although Bach clearly felt at home composing for the recorder, featuring it in major works including the Brandenburg Concertos and several cantatas, he never composed a concerto for solo recorder – in fact, he only wrote original solo concertos for harpsichord and violin. However, an examination of Bach’s compositional practices reveals that it was customary during his era to adapt or reuse musical material in new compositions. Taking this into consideration, the creators of this recording have drawn on a range of sources to answer the question of how a solo recorder concerto by Bach might have sounded.

Presented here are the four full recorder concertos, based on material taken from existing harpsichord concertos and cantata movements, which Bach himself often reused or transcribed for different instrumentation.

The music is played by Erik Bosgraaf and Ensemble Cordevento, performed on a range of recorders and period instruments. Gramophone writes about this recording: “Erik Bosgraaf’s recorder-playing is fluent and lively in fast music, and his five colleagues (single strings and harpsichord) provide accompaniments that are lean, stylish and precise. His rapid passagework is impressive and Ensemble Cordevento’s playing of fast music is joyful and accomplished.”

ERIK BOSGRAAF recorder & direction
with
COLLEGIUM MUSICUM RIGA
ZEFIRA VALOVA violin
IVAN ILIEV violin
ZDENKA PROCHAZKOVA viola
LINDA MANTCHEVA cello
ALESSANDRA PIANU harpsichord

180g vinyl • 33⅓ rpm

BC90012 • Released 2023