Good things come in threes, and here we have a recording that brings together Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete Keyboard concertos, the Italian harpsichordist and organist Francesco Corti, and award-winning orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro. Listening to such a beautiful version of this work raises one important question: should you listen to the harpsichord or the harpsichordist first?
“Both”, you might reply. After all, the rich, fleshed out sound of the instrument is beautifully enhanced by Francesco Corti’s joyful playing. He’s joined by Andrea Buccarella in this third volume devoted to three Concertos for two keyboards, with the addition of Concerto for harpsichord and oboe in D minor, BWV 1059, which Francesco Corti reconstructed using a fragment of a concerto that Bach abandoned before completing (one that has long baffled musicologists). He created his reconstruction by closely examining the few available measures, which are undoubtedly related to the huge, purely instrumental opening movement of Cantata BWV 35. The two other movements were arranged using other parts of the same cantata as inspiration. All the music in this reconstruction could easily have been written by Bach himself, utilising measures and structures that the great German composer is known to have used many times. The delight of getting a glimpse into another of his concertos easily outweighs any concerns about the work’s historical sources.
The clear interpretation of these pieces is due as much to the instruments as it is to the spirited playing of the soloists and the lively accompaniment by Il Pomo d’Oro, which is composed of two violins, a cello and a viol. Simply stunning. © François Hudry/Qobuz