Time 19:00
Aula Magna of the Branicki Palace in Białystok, Jana Kilińskiego 1
The concert is part of the Izabela Branicka International Festival of Early Arts
The work of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sons falls within a particularly fascinating period of transition between eras and the birth of a new order – also in music. Alongside the harpsichord, the fortepiano – or, as we sometimes call these historical instruments, the pianoforte – was becoming increasingly popular. The hammer mechanism employed in these instruments opened up entirely new articulatory and dynamic possibilities for 18th-century performers and composers. The repertoire from that time, including works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, perfectly conveys the delightful variety of colors and shades of early instruments. This leading forerunner of the Classical style left not only outstanding compositions but also the treatise On the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments, which sheds light on performance practice from centuries past. He knew the capabilities of the various types of keyboard instruments intimately, and with his Concerto in E-flat major Wq 47, he demonstrated that the harpsichord and fortepiano need not compete, but that their unique timbres can complement one another wonderfully.
The concert will also feature compositions by Johann Christian Bach, who had a particularly strong influence on shaping the musical language of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Alfred Einstein even claimed that “these works served Mozart as exercises in the concerto form, with Johann Christian’s melodies as material.” Evidence of this can be found in the concertos catalogued as KV 107, which are not, in fact, original works of the Viennese master, but arrangements for pianoforte and orchestra of harpsichord sonatas by the Leipzig cantor’s youngest son.
PROGRAM
Johann Christian Bach – Concerto for harpsichord and orchestra in F minor, W. C73
Allegro di molto | Andante | Prestissimo
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Sinfonia in B minor, Wq. 182/5
Allegretto | Larghetto | Presto
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Keyboard Concerto in D major, KV 107
Allegro | Andante | Tempo di Minuetto
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Sinfonia in B flat major, Wq. 182/2
Allegro do molto | Poco adagio | Presto
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Concerto for harpsichord, fortepiano and orchestra in E flat major, Wq. 47
Allegro di molto | Larghetto | Presto
PERFORMERS
KATARZYNA DROGOSZ PIANOFORTE
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA HARPSICHORD, CONDUCTOR
Duration: 1h 15 mins
Patron of the Polish Royal Opera
Patron of Opera on Tour
Patron of Opera on Tour
Patron of Opera Workshops
Patron of Opera on Tour
