Escape from Berlin

Bach makes plans to give up his job as the King’s personal accompanist. How will his boss respond?

In 1773, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach sat down to record his life story. He’d been asked to write it down for a new book on German music and it made him one of the first composers to produce an autobiography. This week, Donald Macleod follows the composer’s story, using Bach’s own account as his guide. Bach’s words provide fascinating insights into the things he considered most important but it’s possible that what he chose to leave out is even more revealing.

Today, CPE Bach gets on his soapbox about a worrying trend which he feels is polluting musical tastes in Berlin. He also relates a critical turning point in his own career. Donald investigates the real story behind Bach's carefully chosen words.

Magnificat in D, Wq 215: 1. Magnificat anima mea Dominum; V. Fecit potentiam; X. Sicut erat in principio
Matthias Vieweg, baritone
Kölner Akademie
Kölner Akademie Choir; directed by Michael Alexander Willens

Keyboard Sonata in E flat major, Wq 52 No 1: II. Adagio assai, III. Presto
Danny Driver, piano

Sonata in C minor ‘Sanguineus and Melancholicus’ Wq 161 No 1
Members of Pulcinella Orchestra
Ophelie Gaillard, cello & director

Phyllis and Thirsis, Wq 232
Rosmarie Hofmann, soprano
Nigel Rogers, tenor
Hans-Martin Linde, flute
Christophe Huntgeburth, flute
Pheobe Carrai, cello
Rolf Junghanns, harpsichord