On three consecutive evenings this week, members of the San Francisco Symphony will perform instrumental works of J. S. Bach, including three of his Brandenburg Concerti (nos. 3, 4, and 5.)
Bach composed his well-known Brandenburg Concerti during his residency in Cöthen, where he lived from 1717 to 1723. There he worked for Prince Leopold, an amateur musician who maintained a first-rate court orchestra, for which Bach composed many of his greatest instrumental works. The six Brandenburg Concerti, each of which features a different group of soloists, display Bach's flair for virtuosic writing.
Concerto No. 5 may be the best example. The "concertino," or group of soloists, includes a flautist, violinist, and harpsichordist. For most of the first movement, the harpsichordist takes a back seat to the other two soloists, fulfilling the function of a continuo, or accompaniment, instrument, But towards the end of the movement, the harpsichordist seizes control of the piece, launching into an elaborate, lengthy, and stunningly virtuosic cadenza. Not only is the cadenza dazzling to its audience, but it is also a remarkable moment in music history. Bach subverts the conventions of harpsichord writing, allowing the keyboard player to undertake what Susan McClary brilliantly calls the "Revenge of the Continuo Player." Essentially, he hijacks the piece. McClary's analysis makes sense of Bach's enigmatic writing by considering the work through a social and historical lens: the piece enacts the Enlightenment-era struggle between individual freedom and social order.
To purchase tickets to the SFS's performances of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti, click here.
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