Les Violons du Roy conducted by Bernard Labadie. Truls Mørk as the cellist.
I - Allegro: 0:00
II - Largo con sordini, mesto: 6:28
III - Allegro assai: 14:06
Bach's Cello Concerto No.3 was probably composed in 1753, while he was working in Berlin under the patronage of Prussian king Frederick the Great. It was later arranged for harpsichord and flute. It was probably written for court cellist Ignaz Mara, along the rest of the concertos. As with most of Bach's music, it follows the "sensitive style", with an emphasis on features such as extreme expressive contrasts with disruptive incursions, instability of key, sudden changes of register, dynamic contrast, and exciting orchestral effects.
It is important to consider that, at the time these concertos were written, the cello was a recently created instrument. Only a handful of composers had written concertos for the instrument, most notably among them Vivaldi, who also established the ritornello form, which became the standard for mid-century German composers. It involves alternation of strong harmonically stable thematic statements by the full orchestra (ritornellos) with more fluid modulatory passages performed by the soloist with a light accompaniment (solos). Despite these cello concertos being historically important, virtuosic and musically rich, the fact they remain largely unknown is baffling to say the least.
The first movement begins with a rhythmic ritornello based on a simple arpeggiated motive, soon further elaborated by the cello, unaccompanied at first, then supported only by the bass. At the second cello entrance, now in E major, the four-note motive reverses direction, rising across the strings of the instrument. Bach takes advantage of the idea to present a volatile series of arpeggiated and scalar passages in straight sixteenth notes. The third entrance, in D major, restates the violin version of the theme, followed by a new cello version. A contrasting theme, with an offbeat, dotted rhythm, soars high in the cello just before the return of the ritornello.
The second movement opens with a melancholic ritornello with the violins in their lowest register. It unfolds in short, almost broken, phrases amid sudden changes in dynamics, before gathering momentum towards the end. Violins and bass paraphrase the opening of J. S. Bach’s Three-Part Invention (Sinfonia) No.9 in F Minor. The composer had undoubtedly studied the work as part of his musical training. The movement has a poignant, elegiac tone, which one might connect with the death of J. S. Bach in 1750, three years before. At its first entrance, the cello takes over the violins’ A minor theme in high register and climbs from there. The high note of the phrase, however, is taken by a violin chord, a fine example of intimate musical dialogue. In the calmer middle reaches of the largo, the cello creates a more continuous melodic line, yet still in alternation with the violins and viola. The music remains in minor keys throughout, with considerable chromaticism. The final statement of the main theme is reserved for the solo cello, which is followed by a virtuosic cadenza for the soloist. A short repetition of the ritornello ends the movement.
The third movement begins with a vigorous and lively ritornello composed of contrasting rhytmic and melodic ideas. When the cello enters it establishes a new idea in a contrasting 2/4 meter. Thereafter, Bach intensifies the trade-off between rhythms and metres within the cello solo itself, as it takes up each idea in turn, adding passages in syncopation for good measure. Other features include continuous dynamic contrasts and frequent violin double stops. The movement acts more as a traditional virtuoso vehicle than any of the others Bach composed for cello. The opening ritornello then leads us to an exciting coda.
Picture: "An avalanche in the Alps" (1803) by the English-British painter Philip James de Loutherbourg.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Source: t.ly/QFGer
To check the score: t.ly/O1eiI