Recorder and harpsichord: Baroque Passion

The recorder sonatas by Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach are among the most popular pieces of their kind, the sonatas for harpsichord by Johann Adolph Hasse and Johann Gottlieb Goldberg enjoy the highest recognition today. In a celebration of joy and passion, Elisabeth Schwanda und Bernward Lohr present sonatas and preludes that made music history.

The baroque sonatas and preludes for recorder and harpsichord boast a tremendous tonal palette and great ingenuity in their melodies, motifs and harmony. This is particularly true for Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonata in E minor BWV 1034, which is performed on the voice flute: four movements full of passion and an abundance of musical expressiveness. The upper part and the bass enter into a very strong and well-balanced partnership; at times as a symbiotic complement, at times as an appealing contrast.

To this date, there are only very few recordings of works for harpsichord by Hasse and Goldberg. During their lifetime, both composers were outright stars, whose music featured a striking musical expression, well-placed climaxes, charming melodies and a great range of expressions encompassing melancholy as well as euphoria.

Elisabeth Schwanda , recorder
Bernward Lohr , harpsichord
 

Musicweb International (September 2016, Marc Rochester)

“Endearing, unpretentious and direct performances which reveal the passion of the performers. This is a genuinely happy disc”