J C Bach: Two Sinfonias

Day 174

J C Bach: Sinfonias op 3 nos 1 and 2

Camerata Budapest

Hanspeter Gmur

J C Bach was the youngest of JSB’s sons and belongs firmly in the classical period. He was known as the London Bach and was well connected with the major composers of his generation. These two sinfonias (from a set of 6) are very typical example of the early classical symphony. Scored for horns oboes and strings they are in three movements with the middle movement for strings only. There is some attractive music here though I didn’t think that there was too much that was particularly distinctive - there must be hundreds of early classical symphonies like this. The third movement had something of the spirit of Haydn with some rhythmic displacement and a few touches of adventurous harmony. J C wrote a French Opera, Adamis de Gaule, which has been recorded by Bru Zane. it will be something to investigate at a future state.