Bach: Harpsichord Concertos & Bach’s Coffeehouse—Apollo’s Fire/Jeannette Sorrell, harpsichord (Avie 2489 & 2530)
October is set to be a big month for Apollo’s 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’s Fire. In her liner notes, Sorrell writes that these recordings of Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1 & 5, and Brandenburg date from a time when Apollo’s 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’s Fire on both sides of the Atlantic.
While Bach’s 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 “let his hair down,” 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 “coffee garden” stimulated his creative energies in new ways. Bach’s 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’s great friend, Georg Phillip Telemann is here along with Vivaldi’s spectacular La Folia Variations, transferring that Leipzig coffeehouse all the way to heaven!