The Brandenburg Concertos and Musica Florea

20. červenec 2007

The six Brandenburg Concertos rank among the most frequently performed of Johann Sebastian Bach's orchestral works. They were written during what was perhaps the happiest period of Bach's life, spent in Köthen as court Kapellmeister of a music-loving prince. Most of what he composed for court use was instrumental music: sonatas, suites, concertos, etc. The major part of Bach's compositions from this period were still favourite pieces on concert programmes nearly fifty years after his death. Among these works are the so-called Brandenburg Concertos, written in 1721 for the Brandenburg margrave Christian Ludwig. In them Bach very inventively developed the so-called concerto principle: in each of the concertos he chooses an interesting combination of instruments, to which he entrusts extremely demanding solo parts. They offer the opportunity to display their art to those playing the French horn and trumpet, the violin, the recorder, the flute, the harpsichord, the viola and the viola da gamba. Concerto No. 2 is considered to be one of the most difficult of all trumpet concertos, just as No. 5 is considered to be for the harpsichord.

It can come as no surprise then that these works continue to attract performers and ensembles specializing in so-called historical interpretation, that is, those playing historical instruments or copies of them and making as much use as possible of what is known of interpretation practices from contemporary sources. Ancient music groups which have made complete recordings of the Brandenburg Concertos include foreign ensembles with prestigious names: a few that come quickly to mind are the English Concert, the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, La Petite Bande, and the Academy of Ancient Music.

Until recently we Czechs had only the recording of the Ars Rediviva ensemble with Milan Munclinger, made by Czechoslovak Radio in 1977 and immediately thereafter released on Supraphon. With all due respect to Munclinger's musicianship and informedness, this record is in many regards outmoded. The artists performing on historical instruments nowadays have acquired a great deal of new information which significantly alters their approach to Bach's music. Up until 1989 Western Europe had a big head start in this direction.

But after 1989, when the borders were opened, the situation in the Czech Republic began to change very quickly. Instructors began travelling to the Czech Republic and teaching students eager to acquire this new view of the music of past ages. They brought with them copies of historical instruments, facsimiles of scores and a great many scholarly books. A whole series of young musicians had the opportunity to study the interpretation of ancient music in specialized music courses. And in this way, soon after the velvet revolution, there arose in the Czech Republic several ensembles which very quickly began to catch up with the best Europe could offer.

Perhaps the group to reach this level first was Musica Florea, under the direction of Marek Štryncl. They earned high praise from European critics with their very first compact disc recording, Zelenka's Missa Sanctae Trinitatis. The ensemble's successes on concert platforms throughout Europe along with their later compact disc recordings (Biber and Schmelzer) have merely confirmed its high level. Meanwhile, Czech Radio too has in its programming mapped out systematically developments in the area of ancient music. Czech musicians have been receiving ever more opportunities in the recording studios, and radio microphones have been turning up ever more frequently at the many ancient music festival concerts.

Late last year discussions began about whether it might not be advisable to make a new recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. This financially challenging project was brought to a successful conclusion thanks to a grant from Václav Kasík, the general director of Czech Radio. Choosing the ensemble was easy: it would be Musica Florea. Recording began in June of 2006, and we now have at our disposal a recording that is new and outstanding in every way. Seasoned conductor Marek Štryncl is not intimidated by other world class ensembles. In his choice of tempos as well as other details, he interprets Bach's music in a really personal and fresh way. In some sections we can admire the absolutely overwhelming virtuosity.

Both musicians and recording engineers cope honourably with the pitfalls of performing on old brass instruments such as the baroque trumpet, which Frenchman Guy Ferber plays in Concerto No. 2; or the valveless French horns in the hands of Václav Luks and Miroslav Rovenský. German harpsichordist Sebastian Kneble acquits himself admirably in the solo harpsichord part in Concerto No. 5 as well as in the continuo parts. The remaining solo parts are played outstandingly by regular members of the playing ensemble: violinist Dagmar Valentová, flautist Jana Semerádová, recorder players Marek Špelina and Julie Braná, violists Lydie Cillerová and Michal Kuchařík and viola da gamba players Hana Fleková and Eleonora Machová.

I believe this new radio recording will delight ancient music lovers from the ranks of listeners and professional critics alike. It proves for one thing that Czech interpreters of ancient music can boldly take their places alongside ensembles with prestigious names; and what is more, that they are capable of bringing a new, personal approach to the international repertoire.

author: Helena Černá
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