CPE Bach: Württemberg Sonatas

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was bound to face a posthumous challenge through having had the great Johann Sebastian for a father. It's an added misfortune that his music falls between the stools of the baroque and classical eras. Tehran-born harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani rejects the practice of labelling Bach pre-classical or rococo, and his playing of the six Württemberg Sonatas (so called because they were written for the Duke of Württemberg in 1742-3) shows a sure grasp of Emanuel Bach's heady style. Shifts between extreme polarities, sometimes linked with Baron Munchausen-like plausibility, are characteristics of this music that keep it fresh and surprising to this day. You want a musical roller-coaster? Try this. url.ie/4qdb