Aapo Hakkinen - Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, Vol. 2 (2013)

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Aapo Hakkinen - Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, Vol. 2 (2013)

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Towards the end of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach made a second collection of concertos, these for keyboard. Around 1738 he put this together, possibly as a way of publicizing his work with the Leipzig Collegium , or possibly with an eye towards publishing them. The six works are all somewhat eclectic since they seem to have been transcriptions of works for other instruments, as the informative booklet notes by soloist Aapo Häkkinen state. There are other sources in the Bach archives, so how he put them together can more or less be traced, and in recording these, Häkkinen and his Helsinki Baroque Orchestra have decided that they would be split into two volumes. The first volume has not yet appeared in a review in this journal, so one must apparently begin and the end (to paraphrase a well-known Machaut palindrome). In this second volume, concertos three, four, and six (BWV 1054, 1055, and 1057) are presented, but as they are a bit short for a complete disc, Häkkinen has chosen to supplement them with a solo keyboard Fantasia (BWV 906) and a concerto by his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, for harpsichord solo. I suspect his reason for this choice is that both works seem to have been written about the same time in 1738–40 as the collection, and thus they were composed under the same sort of environment.


No matter, since the works themselves are relatively common to the repertory today among harpsichordists. Moreover, one can generally compare what Bach did to the pieces, at least in the cases of the Third Concerto in D Major (which was taken from the well-known Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042) and the last in F Major (taken from the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto BWV 1049, retaining the two recorders but substituting the keyboard for the solo violin of the original). The only one lacking this is the A-Major Fourth Concerto, which was probably originally for either a viola d’amore or oboe d’amore. There is even some debate on whether Bach didn’t write a completely new slow movement for this adaptation. The musical merits of these works have been mentioned often before, given that they are no stranger to the discography, so I shall not belabor the issue further. Suffice it to say that, like the bulk of Bach’s instrumental music, these works are ingeniously done, and had we not had the originals, they would easily stand alone as Baroque masterpieces. The only strange moment is with The Sixth Concerto, the Brandenburg paraphrase, for the ear does miss the violin roulades which give it a far more piquant and less thick texture than when replaced with the harpsichord. But by the time one gets to the final fugal third movement, this awkwardness has vanished by the sheer tour de force of Bach’s way of altering the concertino. As for the additional works, I must say that I found the Fantasy interesting but less inventive or unusual. Evidently Bach may have thought likewise, for he apparently left the second movement fugue incomplete. As for Wilhelm Friedemann’s work, it seems rather more of a practice piece after his father’s Concerto in the Italian Style (BWV 971) than something startling and original (and one might note that Bach’s favorite pupil, Johann Ludwig Krebs, also composed one of these unaccompanied harpsichord concertos about the same time). In a word, we may observe that this was written under the influence (and take that double entendre any way you’d like), but it just doesn’t seem to have the punch or interest that the accompanied concertos do on this disc. It does contain some nice low registration and the Andante movement is coy and delightful, but it is rather old-fashioned.


As for the performances, Häkkinen has done an outstanding job. The sound is excellent, the solo playing virtually flawless, enough so that I will be anxious to acquire the first volume to complete the set. This is an inspired interpretation and one that demonstrates the unique art of composition employed by Bach. My only quibble is the length and depth of the booklet notes, which seem to go out of their way to belabor the nit-picky details of the scholarship used to create the recording. Not that as a musicologist I don’t revel in such things personally, but the average listener really does not need an excursus on the surviving harpsichords of Bach’s circle or the pitch standards of the time to appreciate the sheer artistry of the performance. Moreover, there are some controversial ideas, such as using an organ for the continuo group in the concertos just because it is “entire plausible” due to the auditorium at the Thomasschule having both a harpsichord and organ in the rehearsal space (and I am aware that there is more to this argument than can be said here), which are tangential to the performances themselves. This is a subject for debate, but the average listener won’t find it particularly illuminating. Still, this is now the standard for performances of these six concertos (or at least three of them), and as such would well serve to replace any others you might have in your collection.

Reviews: I have been waiting expectantly for Häkkinen's completion of Bach's set of Six Harpsichord Concertos (BWV 1052-1057). The remaining three, Concerto III in D major, IV in A major and VI in F major are in this volume. Häkkinen again employs a one-to-a-part set of musicians from the period-instrument Helsinki Baroque Orchestra. They are following musicologist/composer Richard Maunder's intensive research which confirmed that most Baroque orchestral music was written for single part strings with a basso continuo, although extra forces could be added for special occasions. The continuo on this Volume is a cello and a positive organ, compared with the violone and chest organ used in Volume 1.

Concerto III is better known as the Concerto for Violin in E major BWV, here masterfully arrayed in new tone colours. Its opening Allegro joyfully bustles, flows and lilts, while the Adagio has soulful conversational exchanges between the harpsichord's long-breathed solo, with weeping falls tenderly produced by the strings. The pepper-and-salt tang of the harpsichord both blends with and compliments the strings delightfully, showing what amazing expertise Bach possessed as re-arranger.

Concerto IV in A is not so well-known, probably transcribed from a lost concerto for oboe d'amore or viola d'amore, perhaps with a different slow movement. This piece reflects the somewhat deeper toned original instruments, beautifully expressed by Häkkinen's harpsichord, a replica of a two manual Hass original with a 16' register. As Häkkinen tells us, it is likely that Bach had such an instrument at hand for his Collegium Musicum concerts.

Most listeners will immediately spot that Concerto VI is derived from Brandenburg Concerto IV in G. Bach retains the two recorders (here in F) and the harpsichord takes the original violin part but amplifies it into a brilliantly virtuosic keyboard display, the recorders bubbling away with their spirited tune. Häkkinen takes the opportunity to use both 16' and 8' registers on his Hass replica, adding weight and colour to the performance.

Two not insubstantial works round off this disc. Bach's flamboyant Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906 appears in an MS from the Court Library in Dresden, reflecting the composer's quite lengthy stay there, and it is a remarkable piece, pushing the harpsichord to its limits. Its dramatic opening is full of fire and could be a precursor of Chopin's Revolutionary Study, both in its downward sweeping arpeggios and gruff, turbulent exploitation of the 16' lower registers. Häkkinen's realisation of this piece is so gripping that I would have bought the disc for it alone.

Wilhelm Friedman Bach went to Leipzig University about the same time that his father became the conductor and director of the University's Collegium Musicum, and would have played in many of its concerts. He learned from his father that a solo harpsichord could play a concerto all on its own, and here is one of his efforts, the fine solo harpsichord Concerto in G, Fk 40. WFB puts forward a hefty, proud opening tune for his Allegro, a pure two-part arioso for his slow movement, deftly ornamented, with a lively and memorable vivace to end. His style is audibly moving towards the homophonic galant fashion and is less contrapuntal than his father's.

Häkkinen's engineers have rightly given us the chamber perspective required by the ensemble's small size, the harpsichord sounding inside the band (literally, as shown on a session photograph) and not in anyway spotlighted as if for a concerto of much later date. There is plenty of sound from the rear surrounds; the Finnish church ambience is clearly present but not over-reverberant, giving an intimate listening experience in 5.0. Listeners playing at "realistic" volume will hear the sound of the blower of the Positiv Organ, not present in the two solo tracks. Aeolus package the volume in a 3-gate plastic/cardboard fold-out, with a captive booklet (in English and German). Häkkinen himself provides the excellent notes, exploring on various historical aspects and informing us that he has researched extensively to find the MSS with the latest alterations in Bach's hand.

The level of communication from all players and their affection for this music is very high, and brings out the pure joy that Bach expressed when at the top of his composing talent. This 2 disc set would certainly be my choice for a period performance, enhanced by the doughty presence of the Hass replica harpsichord with a full 16' soundboard, which is rarely (or never) found in existing recordings of the concertos.

Wonderful music, wonderful playing. Treat yourself to both volumes.