Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) has to be the most rewarding,
expressive, and entertaining of all the composers whose work fell into
obscurity in the years following his death. He was overshadowed both by
the rediscovery of his father, Johann Sebastian, and by the rise of the
classical composers Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in Vienna. In his
lifetime, however, he was considered "the great Bach " a musician of
astonishing originality and a true original genius. His contemporaries
were right. Because modern editions of C. P. E. Bach's music were few
and far between, it has been difficult for performers and record
collectors to assess and enjoy his achievement, but over the past two
decades the situation has begun to improve. His output was vast: 52
keyboard concertos, a dozen and a half symphonies, hundreds of keyboard
sonatas and character pieces, and a wealth of songs, choral music, and
chamber works. Accompanied by a full-length HÄnssler Classic CD of the
composer's finest and most representative works, this survey offers a
comprehensive overview of this magnificent, all-but-unknown body of
music and makes the case for regarding C. P. E. as a true classic.