Given the towering organ output of his father, it may seem surprising that Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote little for the instrument. The reason is that the organ definitely reached a low point in the late 18th century; it didn't fit with the prevailing concept of natural, simple melody, and what's more surprising than the dearth of organ music by C.P.E. Bach is that Mozart apparently loved the instrument and wrote some sparkling works for it during his youth in Salzburg. This 1987 release from the Capriccio label was ...
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Given the towering organ output of his father, it may seem surprising that Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote little for the instrument. The reason is that the organ definitely reached a low point in the late 18th century; it didn't fit with the prevailing concept of natural, simple melody, and what's more surprising than the dearth of organ music by C.P.E. Bach is that Mozart apparently loved the instrument and wrote some sparkling works for it during his youth in Salzburg. This 1987 release from the Capriccio label was reissued in 2011 by Phoenix Edition, with little attention to the music having been paid in the intervening years. The sound wasn't great to begin with, and the balance between the organ and orchestra is off, with simple accompanimental material from the orchestra blazing forth with no apparent reason. It may be that this music should be taken up by one of the audiophile labels specializing in music of the period. The two organ concertos included (the second features solo parts for a pair...
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