Not JS but CPE Bach

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Bach-Carl-Philipp-Emanuel.htm

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The son of JS. Well respected, although not as revered as his father. But then, how could he compete?

Grimace,

To my suprise, I had the sensation that he competes very well with his dad!

But perhaps only because so much of JS's work is overplayed, so it sounded refreshing.

Hence, my search for a good CPE Bach performance and recording, if anyone knows of one.

This is a great recording of some of my favorite symphonies.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=512&name_role1=1&comp_id=33804&genre=64&bcorder=195&label_id=1076

This is a reissue of an earlier release on the Capriccio label that I really like. Fine bouyant performances that are full of joy.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=512&name_role1=1&comp_id=33804&genre=64&bcorder=195&name_id=56057&name_role=3

Lastly, all the recordings on this page have received favorable professional reviews. Lots to keep you listening.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?album_group=5&name_role=1&name_id=512

Photon46

Thank you so much - "bouyant" and "joy" exactly what I was looking for.

Like CPE vs JS, it would be interesting to hear of other lesser known composers and music with great performances and recordings.

Disappointing that even the classics can become a bit stale after being overplayed or badly played so many times.

I don't know if you are familiar with Heinichen, but he's another composer of similar musical disposition worth getting to know. (Although he was more a contemporary of Bach Sr. than CPE Bach.) These recording caused something of a critical stir when they were released and I've returned to them many times over the years. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=6656&album_group=5

Here are some suggestions for further listening, all instrumental:

1. C.P.E. Bach/La Folia, The Purcell Quartet, Hyperion
2. C.P.E. Bach/4 Symphonies, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Erato
3. C.P.E. Bach/Cello Concertos, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Virgin Classics
4. C.P.E. Bach/The Symphonies for Strings, The English Concert, Archiv Produktion
5. C.P.E. Bach/Concertos for 2 Harpsichords, The English Concert, Archiv Produktion
6. C.P.E. Bach/Trio Sonatas, Le Nouveau Quatuor, Amon Ra
7. C.P.E. Bach/Sonatas & Fantasien, Andreas Staier, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
8. C.P.E. Bach/Triosonaten, London Baroque, Harmonia Mundi
9. C.P.E. Bach/Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and continuo, London Baroque, Harmonia Mundi
10. C.P.E. Bach/Harpsichord Concertos, Concerto Harmonico, Hungaroton Antiqua
11. C.P.E. Bach-LeBrun-Mozart/Oboe Concertos, The English Concert, Archiv Produktion

Hope this helps.