The keyboard concerto was the invention of the great J.S. Bach, but the form really took off in the hands of his second son, Carl...

The keyboard concerto was the invention of the great J.S. Bach, but the form really took off in the hands of his second son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Not only did C.P.E. write the definitive textbook on playing the keyboard instruments of his era, he composed more than 60 concertos, usually for solo with string orchestra accompaniment. Miklós Spányi is the first to attempt to record the complete cycle of works, a hugely ambitious undertaking, and an important one too, because C.P.E. Bach was not just a sort of musical "connecting link" between the style of his father and the new classical idiom of Haydn and Mozart. He was a superb composer in his own right with a highly emotional, vibrant style that's quite evident in these concertos, particularly the ones in minor keys. The Concerto in B minor, included on this disc, is a case in point, being ambitious both in length (it lasts nearly half and hour) and emotional range. Spányi plays this work (as well as the other two included on this very well-filled disc) with his by now customary mastery and understanding of the idiom. He uses a "tangent piano," which has a sound sort of like a cross between a fortepiano and a harpsichord. The music itself really is worth getting to know, and though this is volume eight in the ongoing series, you can dip into any of the preceding seven releases with complete confidence. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com