Bach: Concertos for Two Harpsichords Olivier Fortin, Emmanuel Frankenberg, Ensemble Masques

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1060:
• 1 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1060: I. Allegro 05:01
• 2 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1060: II. Largo ovvero adagio 04:44
• 3 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1060: III. Allegro 03:38
• Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Major, BWV 1061:
• 4 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Major, BWV 1061: I: [...] 07:21
• 5 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Major, BWV 1061: II. Adagio ovvero largo 04:21
• 6 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Major, BWV 1061: III. Fuga. Vivace 06:02
• Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1062:
• 7 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1062: I. [...] 03:46
• 8 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1062: II. Andante e piano 05:45
• 9 Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C Minor, BWV 1062: III. Allegro assai 04:56
• Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major, BWV 552:
• 10 Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major, BWV 552: I. Prelude 08:39
• 11 Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major, BWV 552: II. Fugue 05:33
• Total Runtime 59:46

Info zu Bach: Concertos for Two Harpsichords

The practice of composing for two keyboard instruments, very common in the illustrious Bach family, naturally achieved its apotheosis with Johann Sebastian, whose three concertos for two harpsichords are performed here by Olivier Fortin and Emmanuel Frankenberg with the Ensemble Masques. These works, particularly the concertos in C minor, are among the composer’s most admired. They suggest a conception of the concerto specific to Bach: rather than a dialogue between several individual entities, the piece presents a subtle intertwining of melodic lines and blurs the distinction between solo and tutti parts by making them respond to and quote each other, thus illustrating the principle of harmony dear to the composer. Finally, the recording on two harpsichords of the Prelude and Fugue BWV 552, originally composed for organ, is in keeping with the nineteenth-century tradition of transposing Bach’s works with the aim of giving their refined polyphony greater clarity.

Ensemble Masques:
Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
Emmanuel Frankenberg, harpsichord

Olivier Fortin
graduated with distinction from the Québec Conservatory in 1995. He continued his training with Dom André Laberge, obtained a Master Degree from University of Montreal under the direction of Réjean Poirier, and received several scholarships for studies in Paris with Pierre Hantai and in Amsterdam with Bob van Asperen. In 1997 he was awarded top prizes at the Montreal Bach Competition and the Bruges Festival. Olivier Fortin is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, touring and recording throughout Europe, China and South Korea, the United States and Canada with Masques, Capriccio Stravagante and Tafelmusik. He also performs with Skip Sempé and Pierre Hantaï in programs of music for two and three harpsichords. Olivier Fortin is the founder and director of the Ensemble Masques. From 2004-08 he taught harpsichord and chamber music at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec, and he currently teaches at the Tafelmusik Summer Institute in Toronto.

Emmanuel Frankenberg
is both harpsichord player and natural horn player, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He studied both of his instruments at the conservatories of the Hague and Amsterdam.

Emmanuel works as freelance musician, playing regularly with Collegium 1704, the Goldfinch Ensemble, Capriccio Stravagante, and has performed throughout Europe with groups such as Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Concerto Copenhagen, the Orchestra of the 18th Century, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, les Musiciens du Prince, Berlin Baroque and others.

In 2015, he won the second prize in the Early Music competition in Val de Loire with the Goldfinch Ensemble, and in May 2016 first prize in the competition of the Internationale Händel Festspiele Göttingen. In 2017 he received the Rabo-Burgermeester de Bruin prize.

Ensemble Masques
Renowned as much for their expressiveness and vitality as for their integrity and precision, Masques is an ensemble which fully embodies the dynamic spirit of the Baroque. The name of the group is inspired by the masques of Elizabethan England — dramatic entertainments that incorporated music, dance and poetry. The six members of Masques each have impressive individual careers, with a collective résumé that encompasses a prestigious roster of international early music ensembles. When they come together, their combined breadth of experience is felt in an uncommon interpretive depth, bound together by an equally uncommon chemistry which continues to mesmerize audiences and critics alike.

A chamber group without conductor, Masques benefits from the creative involvement of each member. Their shared curiosity has lead them, and their audiences, along an ever-evolving path of discovery. From their deep immersion into the fascinating world of 17th century German music, to the unveiling of Telemann’s universalism, humour and humanism, to their interest in the initiatory journey of “The Grand Tour,” Masques’ artistic choices are underpinned by the same appetite for trade, blending, borrowing and mixing that was the very breath of the Baroque era itself. It is a spirit reflected in the diverse nationalities of Masques’ musicians, who hail from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland and France — and through their playing, made new.

Booklet für Bach: Concertos for Two Harpsichords