Bach: Harpsichord Concertos & Bach鈥檚 Coffeehouse鈥擜pollo鈥檚 Fire/Jeannette Sorrell, harpsichord (Avie 2489 & 2530)
October is set to be a big month for Apollo鈥檚 Fire as they open their 33rd Season with a program of Brandenburg Concertos, and release not one but two albums. The first is a 25th anniversary release of three harpsichord concertos by J.S. Bach. These sessions from 1999-2004 represent the early days of Apollo鈥檚 Fire. In her liner notes, Sorrell writes that these recordings of Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1 & 5, and Brandenburg date from a time when Apollo鈥檚 Fire was practically unknown outside of the Midwest. The first two were appended to the end of their 2-CD set of the Brandenburg Concertos in an effort to help the album sell. And sell it did, dramatically broadening the reach and reputation of Apollo鈥檚 Fire on both sides of the Atlantic.
While Bach鈥檚 time in Leipzig was tremendously fruitful, he also found it frustrating. He was constantly at odds with the Leipzig Town Council, which oversaw his duties at St. Thomas Church and School. For a change of scenery and an opportunity to 鈥渓et his hair down,鈥� Bach became involved in a series of concerts at a local coffeeshop, leading an informal orchestra in music by him and his friends. His time in the coffeeshop and 鈥渃offee garden鈥� stimulated his creative energies in new ways. Bach鈥檚 Coffeehouse represents Bach and Friends having fun. Dazzling concertos by Bach in new recordings add substance to an album otherwise brimming with humor and over-the-top virtuosity. The Suite based on Don Quixote by Bach鈥檚 great friend, Georg Phillip Telemann is here along with Vivaldi鈥檚 spectacular La Folia Variations, transferring that Leipzig coffeehouse all the way to heaven!