‘BACH FAMILY TIES’
Works by Carl Phillip Emanuel & Johann Christian Bach
We owe the charity concerts ‘ENGEL FÜR BACH’ (ANGELS FOR BACH) as part of the festival to our artists, who are performing without remuneration. In doing so, they are making a strong and unmistakable statement: we play with heart and soul for the development of the Bach world in Weimar, the only authentic place where Bach lived!
Our heartfelt thanks go to all those involved!
PROGRAM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Sonata in A minor Wq 49/1 (1742)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 -1788)
12 Variations on the Folie d'Espagne (1778); Wq 118/9 (H.263)
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Sonata No. 3 in G major, Op. 5 No. 3
Allegro – Allegretto (Theme & 4 Variations)
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Sonata No. 6 in C minor, Op. 5 No. 6
Grave – Allegro moderato (Fugue) – Allegretto
DUO:
Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)
Sonata for Two Harpsichords or Piano Forte in G major, Op. 15/5 (1779?)
Allegro - Tempo di Minuetto
EXPLANATIONS OF THE PROGRAMME
Although born 21 years apart, there were close family ties and musical connections between the second-born ‘Weimar’ Bach son and the last-born Bach son Johann Christian, also known as the ‘London Bach’. Johann Christian, who was considered his father's favourite and was trained in music by him during his lifetime, went to Berlin after his father's death to continue his musical education with his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel.
Both sons had their finger on the pulse of the times, witnessed fascinating developments in the late Baroque period and the transition to the Viennese Classical period, and were among the composers who shaped these two musical styles.
As the leading representative of the so-called ‘Empfindsamer Stil’ (sensitive style), Carl Philipp Emanuel reformed the musical language of his time. ‘You should play from the soul, not like a trained bird...’ With this demand for maximum emotion and individual freedom, he struck a chord with the awakening bourgeoisie: anyone who spoke of the ‘great Bach’ at that time naturally meant Carl Philipp, not Johann Sebastian!
Educational trips through Europe, which had been denied to their father, opened up enormous horizons for the Bach sons: Johann Christian, also known as the ‘London Bach’, became virtually the successor to George Frideric Handel as a composer of Italian operas in London after spending time in Berlin and the Italian cities of Milan and Bologna. In 1764 and 1765, Johann Christian met the then 8-year-old Mozart and his father. Wolfgang Amadeus and Johann Christian played music together for the first time, and the Bach son's style was already taken up by the child Mozart and can be found in his first London symphonies, but also in Mozart's later works.
In any case, they were both highly successful: ‘No one has ever had as much suppleness of mind, as much accommodation to the genius of the age as this Bach (...) Amidst the frivolity of fashionable taste, the giant spirit of his father always shines through...’ Schubart raves about Johann Christian Bach in his ‘Ideas on the Aesthetics of Music’ in 1806.
While none other than Mozart himself succinctly expressed the highest possible praise for Carl Philipp Emanuel: ‘He is the father, we are the sons. Whatever any of us can do right, we have learned from him.’
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Anders Muskens
Anders Muskens (born 1993) is a Canadian fortepiano player, harpsichordist and ensemble director specialising in historical keyboard instruments and musicology. He performs throughout Europe and North America and is known for his interpretations of music from the 18th and early 19th centuries. He studied fortepiano at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Bart van Oort and Petra Somlai and is currently pursuing a doctorate in musicology at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. His research focuses on rhetorical acting and early modern theatre practices in music performance. Muskens is the founder and director of Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester, which is dedicated to reviving the music of the Mannheim court orchestra. The ensemble has performed at major festivals such as the Schwetzingen SWR Festival and has recorded for Etcetera Records and Naxos. His solo and ensemble projects include ‘Army of Generals’ and ‘Beethoven's Forgotten Piano Concerto’ (2024). He has performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Utrecht Early Music Festival and Salle Bourgie. His Beethoven interpretations have been described as ‘not only vital and exciting, but also new and revolutionary’ (Early Music America).
His discography includes ‘Beethoven: Waldstein & Appassionata Sonatas’ (2023), "Vogler: Travel Souvenirs for Keyboard (2025) and Louise Farrenc: Complete Works for Violin and Fortepiano (2023). He won first prize at the Early Music Young Ensemble Competition (London, 2018) and the Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction (2024). He is represented by the Sonus Artist Agency.
Wolfgang Brunnerhas been a regular guest performer at all major European festivals since his international competition successes for harpsichord and hammered dulcimer. From 1985 to 2024, he taught at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, among other places. He has published works in the field of historical dance research (including MGG articles) and on historical and pedagogical improvisation practice. He has also released around 70 CDs with his baroque ensemble ‘Salzburger Hofmusik’ and as a soloist, including many first recordings ranging from early baroque to Carl Orff, which have won numerous awards.