Inventio: Bach, Couper... - Vincent Van Amsterdam - Audio CD (Arrives in 50 days)

Following the success of his recording of J S Bach's Goldberg Variations on Odradek, Vincent van Amsterdam returns with music by Bach's contemporaries, Francois Couperin and Domenico Scarlatti, and by one of his most famous sons, C P E Bach. All of the works featured on the album were originally written for harpsichord and have been specially arranged for classical accordion by Vincent van Amsterdam himself. The sound of the accordion breathes new life into this repertoire, bringing out different nuances in the music while exuding a sense of timeless beauty. The accordion was developed in the 19th century but, like the organ, uses a keyboard and the circulation of air to create its distinctive sound, with reeds like a harmonium rather than pipes like an organ. The accordion also has two keyboards with a similar range to the harpsichord. As such, it has much in common with the instruments heard during the Baroque era and beyond, resonating with the styles of the era in a way that, in Vincent van Amsterdam's hands, results in truly sympathetic interpretations. Works by French Baroque master Couperin featured on the album include several with playful titles and even more colourful musical characters, while the music of C.P.E. Bach is represented in the magnificent Fantasia in F-sharp minor, in which his romantic 'Sturm und Drang' style is to the fore, and in the Wurttemberg Sonata, which is contemporaneous with his father's Goldberg Variations but anticipates the classicism of Haydn and Mozart. Vincent van Amsterdam's affinity with this music shines throughout this recording, which sheds new light on music that defies easy categorisation, spanning epochs and paving the way for future innovations.

Label: Odradek | Origin: Holland