Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel: Sinfonien
Kammerorchester C.Ph.E. Bach
Deutscher Schallplatten-Preis 1988
Phoenix PE443, 1985
Pressestimmen
.... Letzte Verneigung des Kammerorchesters aus Berlin
Auch die fünf sogenannten Berliner Symphonien, die demnächst, Mitte März, vom Label Brilliant in einer maßstäblichen Aufnahme des Ostberliner Labels Eterna neu aufgelegt werden, sind von diesem Feuer des Sturm und Drang beseelt. Eine Lesart aus den Mittachtzigern mit Hartmut Haenchen und dem „Kammerorchester Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach“, die einst Interpretationsgeschichte geschrieben hatte.
Haenchens Ensemble spielt nicht auf „historischen“ Instrumenten, aber es fing früh, vor allen anderen, damit an, die Aufführungspraxis der frühklassischen Musik zu analysieren und stilsicher zu adaptieren. Trotz der schwierigen Überlebensbedingungen und trotz des komplizierten Namens hat dieses kleine Kammerorchester eine beachtliche internationale Karriere, im Westen wie im Osten, gemacht.
Viele Preise, rund fünfzig Platteneinspielungen zeugen von einer Ära, die nun vorüber ist: Auf das Geburtstagskonzert für den Namenspatron, mit dem Oratorium „Die letzten Leiden des Erlösers“ Wq 233 folgt das Abschiedskonzert, mit den drei letzten Mozart-Symphonien. Dann löst sich das „Kammerorchester Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach“ auf, nach über vierzig Jahren, mangels Finanzierung.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 08. March 2014
Sinfonien:
... Eso sí, hay que advertir que las interpretaciones que ofrece la Orquesta de Cámara Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, de instrumentos “tradicionales”, acentúan el primero de los ingredientes frente al segundo, a lo que no son ajenas ni la dirección elegantísima, ágil, poética y transparente de Hartmut Haenchen (maestro al que tenemos en el Teatro Real dirigiendo la Lady Macbeth de Shostakovich, dicho sea de paso)
Flötenkonzerte:
... Los cinco conciertos para flauta reciben una muy buena lectura por parte de Eckart Haupt, quien posee una línea serena, flexible y muy musical, respirando con naturalidad y mostrando una agilidad nada entregada al mero virtuosismo. Tanto él como Haenchen aciertan además al atender al vuelo poético de esta música -incluso al dramatismo del impresionante largo del Wq 168/H- sin dejar de ofrecer la elegancia y delicadeza debidas.
Ritmo, 02. December 2011
The performances here are very strong and hold up quite well even to later competition...sonics remain thoroughly satisfying.’ – American Record Guide
American Record Guide, 01. December 2011
http://www.vinylkatalog.de, 12.2011
... Der 1943 geborene Dirigent Hartmut Haenchen, seit 1982 künstlerischer Leiter des 1969 gegründeten, nach dem „Hamburger Bach“ benannten Kammerorchesters, legte mit dieser ursprünglich auf Capriccio erschienenen LP 1986 eine der bis heute besten, lebendigsten Schallplattenaufnahmen mit C.P.E. Bach-Werken vor. – Klanglich überzeugende Reissue im Klappcover. ...
http://www.vinylkatalog.de, 01. December 2011
The vast corpus of music by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach remains only sporadically recorded and not really well understood, so the reissue by the Phoenix Edition label of these 1988 recordings from Capriccio is welcome. ... The Kammerorchester "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach" under Hartmut Haenchen gets the rough, abrupt quality in this music, which over the course of two CDs is absolutely never boring. Any of these works could appear on a standard orchestra program and set the crowd on its ear. Like the rest of Phoenix's series, this is worth seeking out for fans of the Classical period.
www.allmusic.com, 16. November 2011
Gab für die Aufnahme die höchste Wertung mit 4 von 4 Sternen
Diverdi (S), 01. November 2011
C.P.E. Bach war Anfang sechzig (1775/76) als er dies komponierte: «Orchester Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen: 2 Hörnern, 2 Hoboen, 2 Violinen, Bratsche, Violoncell, Fagott, Flügel und Violon. Seiner Königlichen Hoheit Friedrich Wilhelm, Prinzen von Preussen, unterthänigst gewidmet von Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Capellmeister und Musikdirector in Hamburg.» Der Charme dieser 4 Orchestersinfonien läßt sich nur durch Eines überbieten: durch den Charme der Schallplatte! Und wenn beides zusammen trifft...!
Es gibt eben Dinge, die kann man nicht besser machen! So wie die Aufnahme in der Berliner Christuskirche im November 1986. Damals spielte Hartmut Haenchen mit dem Kammerorchester «Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach» diese Orchestersinfonien ein. Und nun, 25 Jahre später erscheint diese Einspielung erneut bei «Chrystal»-Classics, zunächst tatsächlich ausschließlich als LP!
Rosemarie Schmitt
http://kultur-online.net, 01. November 2011
Shiny and Stylish!, 5 Sterne
I have quite a number of lps of these symphonies with various forces, and they are all quite fine, but all leave you feeling there was something a bit clunky about this Bach son's musical vision. The best is probably the Collegium Aurem record, but still it has that effect. But Haenchen's performance of CPE Bach Symphonies, with the eponymously named chamber orchestra has a shiny precision and tautness that makes the works sound utterly seamless. A vigor that is bright, and especially rigorous while also being very lovely. It just seems that Haenchen really thought out these readings, and they display crucial insights. Some of the awkward sounding arpeggiated figures in other performances, sound that way because they are played like Mozart. And the juxtaposition is not kind to CPE Bach. But those same figures if played as a more sui generis creation, more like an enticing busy musical energy, and not Mozartean poignance, come off sounding really entrancing and different in the best way. These are really genius readings, and the orchestra sound exceptionally fine and rich for a chamber orchestra.
www.amazon.com, 17. September 2011
www.musicweb-international.com, 1.9.2011
As the recording date suggests, this double CD is a re-issue, originally published by Capriccio in 1988. It was re-released most recently in 2004 as part of their 12 CD 'CPE Bach Edition' of symphonies, concertos, keyboard music, flute sonatas and vocal music (C49367). Phoenix have in fact already re-issued most of the discs in that set already this summer in this, their own 'CPE Bach Edition'. They have essentially provided a design facelift: the booklets have attractive old school covers, clean, blockish layouts and even a colour photo printed on the discs themselves. Admittedly the perfunctory liner-notes - two-and-a-half columns of text in total - are nothing to get excited about, but generally speaking the CDs each create a good impression.
In quantitative terms CPE Bach was not a great symphonist, but for sheer quality, and therefore musicological importance, the ten 'Hamburg' works on these discs, accounting for about half of his known output, are hard to beat. Even during their first rehearsals, the "great variety and novelty of form and modulation" of the six Symphonies for Strings was noted, and Emanuel described the Orchestral Symphonies to his publisher as "the greatest thing of that kind that I have done. My modesty prevents me from saying any more on the subject."
Though Emanuel retained the fast-slow-fast three-movement model, he had moved away from the Italian style of his earlier 'Berlin' symphonies towards greater orchestral texture, from the obbligato winds and minimal continuo in the Wq 183 set, to the richness of the strings in Wq 183. His usual grace, variety, depth and excitement remain, but there is also much non-frivolous novelty in both sets of Symphonies: for example, the running of one movement into another without a caesura, particularly startling in the dramatic sudden turn in the music between the first and second movements of the String Symphony in C; the unexpected three second pause midway through the slow section of the String Symphony in G; the amazing tone colour of the slow movement of the Orchestral Symphony in D or the initial chord of the one in E flat; the sudden interruption of the calm opening to the String Symphony in B minor; and several more examples of empfindsamer Stil.
When these two discs first came out they won a Deutscher Schallplattenpreis (now the ECHO Prize), an industry award that was fully deserved: Bach's excellent music is given first-rate attention by Hartmut Haenchen and his fine group of musicians. Today Haenchen is still artistic director of the CPE Bach Chamber Orchestra, which has gone on from these relatively early days to build up a reputation for excellent period musicianship. Given their name and the quality performances in these recordings, it may appear to be stating the obvious that the Orchestra specialises in eighteenth century repertoire, but it did in fact start out as a new music ensemble!
Sound and general technical quality is high. Some background traffic noise is occasionally just audible, and there are one or two inconspicuous editing joins, such as at the very start of the third movement of the String Symphony in G, or between the second and third movements of the Orchestral Symphony in E flat, which were obviously recorded on different occasions. Incidentally, the CD does not confirm that this is a DDD recording - but the original Capriccio cover does.
Though this is a double disc set, there are still only 102 minutes on offer, which makes it a disappointingly short recording. Fortunately, it is available at the same price as single discs in the edition, making it something of a reasonable purchase after all - in fact, CPE Bach's Symphonies being what they are, this is actually a bargain.
Byzantion
Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Sept11/CPEBach_sys_443.htm#ixzz1gcCQlnWe
www.musicweb-international.com, 01. September 2011
Of C.P.E. Bach's ten symphonies, these Orchestral symphonies (4) with Obbligato (12) Parts are his least characteristic. In C.P.E. Bach terms, this means that they are the least individualistic and eccentric and the most appealing and enjoyable of his symphonies. C.P.E. Bach wasn't the weirdest of J.S. Bach's children -- W.F.E., the drunken and dissipated Bach son, has that distinction -- but when he was in the mood, he could write some profoundly strange music, music with abrupt contrasts of tempo, texture, and tonality, music with extreme mood ranging from the delighted past the despairing to the deranged. But as Hartmut Haenchen demonstrates in this 1988 recording with the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestral symphonies (4) are truly the most appealing and enjoyable of C.P.E. Bach's symphonies. Haenchen's stylish phrasing, clear textures, bright colors, and light rhythms make a great case for the works as among the great early symphonies, works on the same level as the early Haydn or Mozart symphonies. The Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra responds with brilliant playing on period instruments and Capriccio captures the performance in clean, crisp digital sound. As good a recording of the C.P.E. Bach Orchestral symphonies (4) as there has ever been.
James Leonard
4 1/2 Sterne von 5
www.allmusic.com, 05. August 2010
5 von 5 Sternen
Die Orchesterwerke mit Hartmut Haenchen und die Chorwerke mit Hermann Max sind so gut, dass ich seit vielen Jahren, d.h. seit ich diese Box habe, kaum Bedürfnis nach Alternativaufnahmen verspüre. Die Aufnahmen erhielten den Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, aber auch von anderen Seiten viel Lob. Die Orchesterwerke werden nicht auf Originalinstrumenten, dafür mit nicht zu großem Kammerorchester dargeboten.
www.amazon.com, 23. August 2009
(...) More restrained performances of the five concertos are divided between two Capriccio discs (10 104, 10 105), with the tidy, neat, somewhat understated playing of Eckart Haupt given crisp but thoughtful support under Hartmut Haenchen.
(...) Haupt/Haenchen really are better choices (...)
John W. Barker
American Record Guide, 01. September 1999
(...) Haenchen's ensemble is also named after the composer: the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra. Playing "modern" instruments, it presents these works with energy and suave, nicely rounded warmth; (...)
John W. Barker
American Record Guide, 01. May 1997
Various orchestras are at work here of which the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach orchestra, under their director Hartmut Haenchen are perhaps the liveliest; the repertoire to which they have been entrusted includes the Hamburg Symphonies Wq182 (six symphonies), Wq183 (four symphonies), five miscellaneous Berlin symphonies, five flute concertos and the two organ concertos.
Februar 1988, Seite 101
THE music of C. P. E. Bach is still extraordinarily neglected in the concert hall. Even the gramophone has been remarkably dilatory in exposing this brilliantly original and quirky genius. The early stereo era first centred on the characteristically engaging Double Concerto for harpsichord and fortepiano and some chamber music, and then went on to discover other concertos and the sinfonias. Now, belatedly, the East German company, Delta Music, have embarked on a complete edition on their Capriccio label. Both NA and I welcomed a set of the so-called 'Berlin' Symphonies excellently performed by the appropriately named Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra under spirited direction by Hartmut Haenchen (Capriccio/Target CC27 105, 9/87), which I discussed in last November's "Cassette Commentary". So like Oliver Twist I asked for more and Vol. 2 bears out the promise of the first issue. It offers the familiar six 'Hamburg' sinfonias in comparably bracing performances by the same group. Their invention is full of unexpected avant-garde twists and turns of melody, rhythm and modulation, so that even if one has heard them before, the ear is consistently intrigued. The Bach group use modern instruments but the crisp, athletic style of the allegros has a distinct air of 'authenticity' in texture and sharpness of focus, yet slow movements have unashamed expressive feeling. On tape the sound is very bright on Side I and needs a little control, but Side 2 is smoother; nevertheless, overall the reproduction makes a stimulating effect (CC27 145).
Berliner Sinfonien, November 1987, Seite 143
CASSETTE COMMENTARY
ONE of the most valuable current ventures of the gramophone has just been inaugurated by the Capriccio label and if it is successful it will undoubtedly put this (until now) small, but enterprising label firmly on the map. The intention is to record all the music of C.P.E.Bach, a highly original and always rewarding composer who until relatively recently has lain (neglected by the majority of music-lovers) in his father's shadow. We have already become familiar with the sharp originality of the music of his six "Hamburg" Sinfonias, which have been recorded more than once, and of some of his concertos too, but a complete survey has been long overdue. So let me give the warmest welcome to Vol. I which includes five of the so-called "Berlin" Symphonies, Wq174-5, 1789 and 181 scored for oboes or flutes (sometimes both—notably Wq181 where the use of flutes in the Andante, after oboes in the first movement, adds a piquant touch). The performances, praise be, use modern instruments, so there are none of the more horrid excrescences of `authenticism', yet textures are light and airy, tempos of outer movements are exhilaratingly brisk, and slow movements are genuinely expressive and communicate warmly. In short, this is very rewarding music-making. The players "reach the heart of the music effortlessly and passionately" in the words of NA who was equally enthusiastic about the new series. The cassette is in the demonstration class and my only regret is that there are, unforgivably, no musical notes, although we are told that the performances, by the C.P.E. Bach Chamber Orchestra directed by Hartmut Haenchen were recorded in Berlin's famous Jesus-Christus Kirche, the venue of so many successful past ventures from Furtwangler onwards (Capriccio CC27 105, 9/87).
Gramophone (GB), 01. October 1988
THE music of C. P. E. Bach is still extraordinarily neglected in the concert hall. Even the gramophone has been remarkably dilatory in exposing this brilliantly original and quirky genius. The early stereo era first centred on the characteristically engaging Double Concerto for harpsichord and fortepiano and some chamber music, and then went on to discover other concertos and the sinfonias. Now, belatedly, the East German company, Delta Music, have embarked on a complete edition on their Capriccio label. Both NA and I welcomed a set of the so-called 'Berlin' Symphonies excellently performed by the appropriately named Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra under spirited direction by Hartmut Haenchen (Capriccio/Target CC27 105, 9/87), which I discussed in last November's "Cassette Commentary". So like Oliver Twist I asked for more and Vol. 2 bears out the promise of the first issue. It offers the familiar six 'Hamburg' sinfonias in comparably bracing performances by the same group. Their invention is full of unexpected avant-garde twists and turns of melody, rhythm and modulation, so that even if one has heard them before, the ear is consistently intrigued. The Bach group use modern instruments but the crisp, athletic style of the allegros has a distinct air of 'authenticity' in texture and sharpness of focus, yet slow movements have unashamed expressive feeling. On tape the sound is very bright on Side I and needs a little control, but Side 2 is smoother; nevertheless, overall the reproduction makes a stimulating effect (CC27 145).
Gramophone S.101, 01. February 1988
These five interesting and, it would appear, hitherto commercially unrecorded symphonies of C.P.E. Bach's Berlin years have been giving me some enjoyment. Stylistically, there is little in the way of surprise and little of that quirky sensibility that characterizes much of his music of the later Hamburg period; yet, there is no mistaking the identity of the composer in the early stirring of the musical Sturm und Drang which can be felt over and over again in Bach's developing language of feeling. These symphonies span the years between 1755 and 1762 and thus fall into the long period during which Carl Philipp Emanuel served at the Court of Frederick the Great at Potsdam.
Each symphony here is in three movements but varies in its orchestration. The Symphonies in E flat, Wq179 and F major, Wql8l are scored for pairs of oboes and horns with strings, though with flutes added to the middle movement of the latter; in the C major, Wq174 and F major, Wq175 the oboes are replaced with flutes and, in the E minor Symphony, Wq178, Bach brings together flutes, oboes, horns and strings. Harpsichord continuo, played on a pleasant sounding modern Taskin copy, is used throughout. The variety in colour and texture is complemented by arresting contrasts in emotional temperament which appear at their most affecting, perhaps, in the fine Symphony in E minor of 1756. Here the lyrical slow movement with its gently fluttering flute tremolos, echoed more boldly by the strings, is flanked by supple, vigorous and quite intense Allegros. This work, more than the other four, contains those characteristically spiky utterances in the tuttis, the unexpected pauses and the surprising shifts in key that were to become such a feature of his later music. The conclusion of the finale is admirably bold and concise, recalling several similarly handled closes amongst Bach's symphonies and concertos.
The Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra are a band of players who use modern instruments tuned at today's pitch. They are a lively group who reach the heart of the music effortlessly and passionately. ... the level of ensemble is high. In short an attractive programme of largely unfamiliar repertoire well playedand clearly recorded. I note that this issue is described as Volume One—I look forward to others. N.A.
Gramophone (GB), 01. September 1987