Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Concerto Köln & Shunske Sato

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046
• 1I. Allegro03:45
• 2II. Adagio03:14
• 3III. Allegro03:58
• 4IV. Menuet - Trio - Menuet - Polonaise - Menuet - Trio - Menuet06:27
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047
• 5I. Allegro04:30
• 6II. Andante03:28
• 7III. Allegro assai02:35
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1049
• 8I. Allegro04:59
• 9II. Andante00:25
• 10III. Presto04:19
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in D Major, BWV 1049
• 11I. Allegro07:02
• 12II. Andante03:24
• 13III. Presto04:36
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050
• 14I. Allegro09:46
• 15II. Affettuoso05:13
• 16III. Allegro05:18
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, BWV 1051
• 17I. Allegro05:33
• 18II. Adagio ma non tanto04:32
• 19III. Allegro05:29
• Total Runtime01:28:33

Info for Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

The Brandenburg Concertos have been the subject of much speculation and countless writings. “Why should we perform and produce a studio recording of the Brandenburgs when there are already so many exemplary recording on the market?” This question was passionately discussed within the orchestra. A unanimous decision was quickly reached: Concerto Köln would only incorporate Bach’s compendium of Baroque orchestral literature into the program if preexisting ideas would allow for new perspectives. Bassoonist, Lorenzo Alpert, thus set out in search of new territories basing his research on questions regarding sound as well as instrumentation. Which continuo instruments should be used in the various concertos and what kind of trumpet is called for in the Second Branden- burg? What was meant by the “Fiauti d’Echo” indicated by Bach in the Fourth Concerto and which viola da gambas did he have in mind for the Sixth?

As with their recording of Bach’s orchestral suites, Concerto Köln chose the low tuning pitch of a1 = 392 Hz for their recording of the Brandenburg Concertos. One of the reasons for choosing this particular tuning pitch, used primarily in France at the time, was the highly virtuosic trumpet part in the Second Concerto. Alpert explains: “In the lower tuning pitch, the high trumpet passages seem significantly more idiomatic and it’s possible to produce a softer ensemble sound within the quartet of soloists”. Tuned a whole tone higher than the “German trumpet”, what has been described as the “chamber-pitched F trumpet” or “French trumpet” was most likely utilized during the Baroque era in Germany for such a high part. It is very likely that Bach wrote the Second Brandenburg for just such an instrument. Concerto Köln’s trumpet player, Hannes Rux, plays a modified instrument that is adjusted to the lowered tuning pitch of the strings and woodwinds.

Concerto Köln has also just recently found a possible answer to the question regarding the flutes in the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto. “Fiauti d’Echo” was specifically written into the score by Bach. Customarily, these are replaced by recorders that produce the sought-after echo effect through a certain spacial set-up. But to what type of instrument these “Fiauti d’Echo” were referring has been the subject of much speculation. A rather determinate clue in a treatise written in 1696 by the French composer and theorist, Ètienne Louilé, was found by Lorenzo Alpert who explains: “‚Les Sons de deux Flûtes d’Echo sont différents, parce que l’un est Fort & que l’autre est Foible’, meaning, the sound of the two echo flutes is different as one is loud and the other is faint. As a result, I realized that we may be talking about a double flute that is able to produce an echo effect”. As there are also historical illustrations to support this theory yet no such original instruments are in existence today, flutist Cordula Breuer set out in search of an instrument-maker who would be prepared to construct a double flute according to these designs.“I asked several flute-makers but all of them declined because it seemed such a daunting task”. Finally she happened upon the Swiss flute-maker, Andreas Schöni, who was willing, based on descriptions of the historical instruments, to construct the double flute that was possibly known to Bach. “Made from one piece of wood, Andreas Schöni’s echo flute is essentially two recorders each with a row of finger

Concerto Köln

Shunske Sato
is a violinist known for his distinctive and engaging performances on both modern and historical instruments. Equally in demand as concertmaster, chamber musician, soloist and teacher, the diversity of his activities reflect his versatile and resourceful nature.

Resident in The Netherlands, Shunske serves as concertmaster of Concerto Köln and the Netherlands Bach Society, and is often invited as a guest concertmaster for ensembles such as the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. In 2013 he was invited to join the faculty of the Amsterdam Conservatory, where he teaches violin in the context of historical performance practice.

He has performed as soloist with American and European orchestras such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bavarian Radio Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and National Symphony Orchestra, as well as with orchestras in Japan such as the NHK Philharmonic and Osaka Century Orchestra. Shunske has recorded violin concertos by Haydn and Mozart with Orchestra Libera Classica under the baton of Hidemi Suzuki, and in 2011 gave the first performance of Paganini’s second violin concerto on historical instruments with the Academy of Ancient Music. His discography is extensive and most notably includes works for solo violin by Telemann, Paganini and Eugène Ysaÿe.

In the roles of both soloist and concertmaster Shunske has worked with numerous conductors, including Ivor Bolton, Richard Egarr, Christopher Hogwood, and Kent Nagano

In 2010 Shunske was awarded Second prize and the Audience prize at the 17th International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig. He also won the Young Concert Artists award at the age of 12, the youngest ever to date.

Born in Tokyo, Shunske immigrated to the US at the age of four. He studied at the Juilliard School in New York, Conservatoire National de Région in Paris and Hochschule für Musik und Theather in Munich. His teachers include Chin Kim, Dorothy DeLay, Masao Kawasaki, Gérard Poulet, Eiichi Chijiiwa and Mary Utiger.

Concerto Köln (COK)
For more than 25 years Concerto Köln has been one of the leading ensembles in the field of historical performance. Their energetic style of playing has earned them great popularity and regular invitations to appear in renowned concert halls and at festivals around the globe. Markus Hoffmann, Mayumi Hirasaki and Shunske Sato are the orchestra’s permanent concertmasters, with Martin Sandhoff as artistic director since 2005. A partnership with the leading High End Audio specialists, MBL, was established in October of 2009 . The ensemble receives additional support from the Minister for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia and the TÜV Rheinland. Since 2008 Concerto Köln and the Berlin Classics label have been working closely together. Their recording of Henri-Joseph Rigel’s Symphonies won an Echo Klassik Award in 2009 and the MI- DEM Classic Award in 2010.

With numerous works having been released earlier on other labels, Concerto Köln’s discography now extends to more than 60 albums, many of which have collected prizes such as the Echo Klassik, the Grammy Award, the German Record Critics’ “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik”, the MIDEM Classic Award, Choc du Monde de la Musique, Diapason d’Année and the Diapason d’ Or.

A trademark of the ensemble is the rediscovery of composers whose music has remained in the shadows of greater names. Henri- Joseph Rigel is not the only beneficiary of Concerto Köln’s efforts in this regard. Works by Joseph Martin Kraus and Evaristo Felice dall’Abaco have also enjoyed a Renaissance. The intermeshing of research and practice is especially important for the ensemble and plays a vital role in their musical approach. With this recording of the Brandenburg Concertos, Concerto Köln draws an arc to their 2010 release of Bach‘s Orchestral Suites. The reference to the Hofkapelle in Köthen acts as the golden thread bonding the two recordings. A special thank you goes out to the Kunststiftung NRW and to Deutschlandfunk whose help and support was fundamental in the realization of these projects.

Booklet for Bach: Brandenburg Concertos