Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 11:00 am
Johann Sebastian Bach Piano Concerto in D Major, BWV 1054
Johann Christian Bach Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major, Opus 7, No. 5
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Piano Concerto in G Major, Wq. 475
Johann Sebastian Bach Piano Concerto in G minor, BWV 1058
Pianist Sebastian Knauer and a string quintet take a musical journey from the Baroque to the Classical period, in which the development of the piano concerto genre within the Bach family is shown in a fascinating way. Father Johann Sebastian was the first composer ever to give the piano/harpsichord a solo role alongside the orchestra. His sons Carl Philipp Emanuel, Wilhelm Friedemann and Johann Christian masterfully continued this tradition, and adapted their concertos both to contemporary taste and to innovations in musical instrument making. In this respect, the Bach family made a significant contribution to the emancipation of the piano as a solo instrument in the mid-18th century on the way to Mozart. The Bach sons’ piano concertos in this program are rarities, very rarely heard in concert.
