Trevor Pinnock - Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg

Track: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046 - 4th Movement

Extract from IODA:
The Brandenburg Concertos
While we know that Bach finished a sumptuous manuscript of six concertos (for ‘plusieurs Instruments’, as he titled it) in March 1721 for presentation to the Margrave of Brandenburg, it is not certain when Bach actually composed these works. Some might date from the weeks immediately preceding the dedication, but the existence of early versions of some pieces suggests that Bach may have compiled much of the set from a pool of existing works. His aims in revision and compilation seem to have been to present six entirely disparate solutions to the instrumental concerto genre, a genre which was by no means fixed and which could imply many instrumental combinations. This attitude of attempting an encyclopaedic survey of a musical genre and also of perfecting and refining the best of what he had already written became a major compositional concern for Bach over the last three decades of his life; the Brandenburg dedication may well mark the beginning of this process.

Trevor Pinnock
"Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046" (mp3)
from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album