Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, born in 1710, was the oldest son of Johann Sebastian, and probably the most ill-fated: he failed to hold down a job, scraped by with teaching, and died in poverty. One may speculate as to the reasons for this, but it may have had something to do with what has been called the anxiety of influence. All the Bach children struggled with their father's mighty example in one way or another, but the process is especially visible in these flute duets, thought to be early works by Friedemann. They veer ...
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Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, born in 1710, was the oldest son of Johann Sebastian, and probably the most ill-fated: he failed to hold down a job, scraped by with teaching, and died in poverty. One may speculate as to the reasons for this, but it may have had something to do with what has been called the anxiety of influence. All the Bach children struggled with their father's mighty example in one way or another, but the process is especially visible in these flute duets, thought to be early works by Friedemann. They veer precipitously between dense contrapuntal writing and lighter movements that presage the changes in style that were sweeping across Germany in the 1730s. This may not result in really coherent music, but it's also never dull. There's a good deal of technically quite difficult music that's confidently handled by flutists Patrick Gallois and Kazunori Seo. There's a fascinating effect stemming from the fact that the instruments carry equal weight throughout, but this is accomplished in...
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