Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's six collections of sonatas, fantasias and rondos fur Kenner und Liebhaber (''for Connoisseurs and Amateurs'') were published in Leipzig between 1779 and 1787. The music itself, though, covers a wider period spanning almost 30 years. The collections are incorrectly numbered according to the old Wotquenne system, by the way, and should read, as above, Wq55-59; Wq61. (Wq60 is a separate work altogether.) On four well-filled discs Gabor Antalffy sensibly rings the changes between harpsichord and fortepiano, affording the listener a necessary variety in instrumental timbre. Yet his bias towards the harpischord seems perverse. Bach wrote most of these pieces with a fortepiano in mind but, acknowledging that in a project of this kind an alternative choice of instrument is no bad thing, surely a clavichord would have been a more sensible option. As it is, only six out of 37 compositions are played on the fortepiano, the bulk of the programme being performed on three admittedly strongly contrasting harpsichords.
The six collections embrace the three distinct types of piece: sonata, fantasia and rondo. The sonatas, though variable in their quality, are never without interest and are plentifully endowed with that subjective tension which we recognize as a hallmark of Bach's style. There are striking contrasts, too, these often being found in the juxtaposition of movements of a widely different outlook. The free fantasias, of which there are six in all, are strongly improvisatory in character and are impressive examples of Bach's originality in this sphere. The rondos are the most lyrically conceived pieces in the collections, their reiterated themes being treated in an experimental, highly original fashion, organized but not too formally constrained.
Gabor Antalffy is an imaginative player though his technique is not flawless. That in itself would not have bothered Bach who had a few choice words for players whose chief asset was that of technique. But I did feel that some of the playing here, especially in slow movements, was a bit unyielding. There is, on the other hand, much to enjoy in Antalffy's vigorous and mainly fluent passagework, in his lively gestures and in his feeling for line; and, of course, there is some value in having a complete version of these wonderfully stimulating pieces. But Kenner, at least, may feel that there is more to these pieces than is conveyed by somewhat routine performances. Worth considering, all the same. Recorded sound is clear and sympathetic.
'