Concertino Armonico

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) was the second son of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara Bach. He received his first music lessons from his father in Cöthen and Leipzig. Later he became chamber musician at the court of Fredrick the Great in Berlin, where he had regular contact with composers as Quantz, Graun, and Benda. Bach did not receive much respect at the Berlin court and moved to Hamburg, where he became the successor to Telemann. The rich musical life of the city fascinated him so, that he was to spend the rest of his life there, as director of five churches and cantor of the Johanneum. He wrote a number of pioneering pieces for piano, among them about fifty concertos for harpsichord. In the later years, his extensive oeuvre was mainly dedicated to the interests of the harpsichordist. The young Hungarian 'rising star' of the harpsichord, Miklos Spanyi, has embarked on a complete recording of Vivaldi's solo pieces and concertos. All these recordings have thus far been revelations. This in many respects still unknown composer has found a wonderful interpreter. Spanyi studied at the Conservatorium in Antwerp, with Jos van Immerseel. Together with his ensemble Concerto Armonico he has quickly managed to establish himself in the international concert world. In addition to this concert, Spanyi will also give a solo recital on clavichord - with works of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and of van Beethoven - on Sunday afternoon, October 12th.