Johann Brouwer plays Bach, Böhm, Couperin and Forqueray by Johan Brouwer

Johan Brouwer

Johann Brouwer plays Bach, Böhm, Couperin and Forqueray

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: Aliud
UPC: 8717775550921
Catnr: ACDBR 762
Release date: 05 December 2014
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Label
Aliud

UPC
8717775550921

Catalogue number
ACDBR 762

Release date
05 December 2014

"After, among other things, a striking Aliud CD with German harpsichord music, Dutch harpsichordist Johan Brouwer continues his series of recordings of performances on a David Rubio and a Vaudry harpsichord with French harpsichord music, combined with works by Georg Böhm and J .S. Bach. Very nice."

Stretto, 20-2-2020

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

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About the album

Bach and the French baroque
The working title of the programme is Bach and the French baroque. L’art de toucher le clavecin by François Couperin (1668-1733) was published in 1716 as a manual for the French style and gives important instructions for playing the harpsichord as regards finger positions and ornamentations. The préludes are written-out improvisations in the style of the Préludes non mésurée.

The Suites of Georg Böhm (1661-1733) were produced in an environment orientated towards France, like the court in German Celle, where the French consort of Duke Georg Wilhelm resided. After her husband’s death, she lived for some years in Lüneburg, where Böhm worked in the Johannis-Kirche. Besides the usual dances, the Suite in F Minor played here contains for instance a French Ciaconne.

Pascal Taskin

The instrument played is a copy built by David Rubio (1979) after an instrument by Pascal Taskin (1769). The original instrument remained in the possession of the Taskin family until 1952, when it passed into the hands of Raymond Russell, founder of the famous Russell Collection in Edinburgh. Taskin had his workshop in Paris as successor to Etienne Blanchet.
The chinoiserie was made by Ann MacTaggert after examples of instruments painted by Gerard Dagly. Dagly (1653-1714) was born in Spa and worked many years for the Prussian court in Berlin. My Rubio instrument was renovated in 2013 by Cornelis Bom (Nieuwolda), who introduced new strings with different measurements and a new intonation.

Johan Brouwer (1943) studied organ under Wim van Beek and music theory under Frans van Eeden at the Groningen Conservatory of music, then harpsichord at the Amsterdam Conservatory of music. After his soloist exam he took up further studies with Gustav Leonhardt. Johan Brouwer followed masterclasses by Ton Koopman, René Saorgin and Jos van Immerseel.
Johan Brouwer has given concerts in the Netherlands, France, Portugal, England and Germany and as leader/harpsichordist formed part of the Groningen baroque orchestra Collegium Musicum, concentrating not onlyon the great traditional works of the baroque but also on unknown works from the 17th and 18th centuries. He also worked for a long time as conductor of the Winschoten Chamber Choir, with which he performed much 17th century music together with the Collegium Musicum Groningen.

Als Hommage an den französischen Instrumentenbauer Taskin, der das Cembalo vor der Verbreitung des Hammerflügels zu seinem letzten Höhepunkt führte, erscheint diese CD, und das Cembalo, auf dem sie eingespielt wurde, basiert auf einem seiner Instrumente. Gemäß dem Arbeitstitel „Bach und das Französische Barock“ hat sich Johan Brouwer verschiedenen Frankreich-orientierten Werken verschiedenster Komponisten des 18. Jahrhunderts zugewandt. Dabei darf natürlich Bach nicht fehlen, der mit der Eleganz und dem hohen Anspruch seiner Französischen Suiten einen neuen Standard für die Instrumentalgattung setzte.

Artist(s)

Johan Brouwer (harpsichord)

Johan Brouwer (1943) studied organ at the Groningen conservatory under Wim van Beek, then harpsichord at the Amsterdam conservatory under Jaap Spigt. After his soloist exam he continued his studies under Gustav Leonhardt. Johan Brouwer followed master classes under Jos van Immerseel, Ton Koopman and Renée Saorgin. Besides performing many concerts in the Nether-lands, Johan has played in almost all West European countries. He was attached to the Winschoten Chamber Choir as a conductor and to the Baroque Orchestra Collegium Musicum Groningen as a harpsichordist and founder. With both ensembles he gave many concerts and made many recordings at home and abroad. For the Aliud label Johan Brouwer has recorded various CDs, often using his collection of harpsichords built by...

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Composer(s)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and hundreds of cantatas. His music is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth. Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest in and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest in and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

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François Couperin

François Couperin was a French composer. He is the most imporant and best known member of the Couperin family, which consisted of a whole dynasty of composers. Couperin was nicknamed 'Le Grand' (the Great), and is considered to be one of the most seminal composers of the Baroque period, especially in regard to his music for harpsichord. His keyboard music is characterised by a strong idiomatic nature, both in its personal style and in its close relation to the instrument's features. Next to his harpsichord music, Couperin composed music for organ, vocal music, both sacred and secular, and chamber music. Moreover, he published several theoretical treatises on the playing techniques on the harpsichord and its role in the accompaniment of music.

Next to his harpsichord music, Couperin composed music for organ, vocal music, both sacred and secular, and chamber music. Moreover, he published several theoretical treatises on the playing techniques on the harpsichord and its role in the accompaniment of music.

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Georg Böhm

Antoine Forqueray

Antoine Forqueray stems from a family of musicians, comparable to (but less famous than) the Couperins. He was educated as a viola a gamba player at the French court, under the protection of Louis XIV. In 1789 he was appointed as royal chamber musician. As a younger contemporary of Marais, he was one of the most famous gamba players of his time, and he also composed Pièces de viole and harpsichord pieces which betray more Italian (Corelli, Vivaldi) influence than French. Many of the harpsichord pieces were arranged by his son Jean-Baptiste (1699-1782) and only published in 1747. Rumor has it that the son reported his father to the Parisian police because of ‘fraud, visiting whores and gambling’ since he...

Antoine Forqueray stems from a family of musicians, comparable to (but less famous than) the Couperins. He was educated as a viola a gamba player at the French court, under the protection of Louis XIV. In 1789 he was appointed as royal chamber musician. As a younger contemporary of Marais, he was one of the most famous gamba players of his time, and he also composed Pièces de viole and harpsichord pieces which betray more Italian (Corelli, Vivaldi) influence than French. Many of the harpsichord pieces were arranged by his son Jean-Baptiste (1699-1782) and only published in 1747. Rumor has it that the son reported his father to the Parisian police because of ‘fraud, visiting whores and gambling’ since he was jealous at him with his greater success in the 1720’s.
(Source: Musicalifeiten.nl)

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Press

After, among other things, a striking Aliud CD with German harpsichord music, Dutch harpsichordist Johan Brouwer continues his series of recordings of performances on a David Rubio and a Vaudry harpsichord with French harpsichord music, combined with works by Georg Böhm and J .S. Bach. Very nice.
Stretto, 20-2-2020