CPE Bach: Cello Concertos - Bournemouth Sinfonietta

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Cello Concertos
Tim Hugh, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Richard Studt
Naxos 8.553298

Which of the three alternative versions of these concertos was the chicken and which were the eggs remains uncertain, though the annotator of this recording confidently declares that the harpsichord versions came first. Whatever the truth may be, the cello is clearly their natural spokesperson, the only one able to speak so eloquently on behalf of the slow movements. The concertos were probably not written to please the cellophobic Frederick the Great, Bach's employer, but, rather, Carlo Graziani, the cello teacher of the King's nephew (Frederick's successor), whose enthusiasm for the instrument was passed on to Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. Hugh's bow dances in the flanking movements and is matched by those of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, alert to every nuance and disposed to throw their weight around only as much as is fitting. It is, however, the slow movements that are the heart of these works - and of the EmpJindsamer Sill. They are all tinged with sadness but none more than the Largo of the A major Concerto, where Hugh's abated vibrato, attenuated lines and resistance to the excessive squeezing of appoggiaturas express a sadness that is held within, not spilt in salt tears. This is a recording to set alongside that by Anner Bylsma and its bargain price may greatly twist the arm that reaches for the wallet.

JD, Gramophone.net