“JS Bach’s seven concertos for solo harpsichord & strings, BWV 1052-1058, occupy a significant place in the history of music, marking as they do the origin of the keyboard concerto genre. Collectively, they encompass the gamut of Baroque rhetorical expression; indeed, leaving aside the six ground-breaking ‘Brandenburg’ Concerts avec plusieurs instruments, it is difficult to think of a more diverse, revolutionary and technically refined set of instrumental concertos from the Baroque period” – Andrew Arthur
Their first recording on Signum Classics, The Hanover Band play-directed by Andrew Arthur present four of these revolutionary concertos, and dedicate this release to their Founder and Artistic Director, Caroline Brown (1953-2018).
The Hanover Band’s players are amongst the finest in their field and the orchestra has built an internation- al reputation for the excellence of its performances and recordings of eighteenth and nineteenth-century music. Andrew Arthur is best-known for his work in the field of historically informed performance, he is in great demand as a conductor, keyboard soloist and continuo player, working with many of the UK’s leading period-instrument orchestras and professional choirs.
“Fluid, inventive and utterly musical” – Early Music Review
★★★★★ “An excellent record, which I enjoyed very much…I cannot recall a set of performances which has satisfied me as much…The recording balance is equally first-rate and this disc can be very confidently recommended. I look forward to it’s successor” – Musical Opinion
★★★★ “This is a fine new recording of some of the Bach harpsichord concertos with the Hanover Band in good form…Andrew Arthur is a fine player, and the Garlick harpsichord sounds very well. The opening D minor Concerto has splendid energy, and in the third movement the lively dialogue with the harpsichord is very effective…If wanting stylist performances of these four concertos, this is well worth considering” – Choir and Organ Magazine