Giancarlo Simonacci - Twelve Polonaises '2024

Tracks list

Tracklist
 
01. 12 Polonaises in C Major: I.
02. 12 Polonaises in C Minor: II.
03. 12 Polonaises in D Major: III.
04. 12 Polonaises in D Minor: IV.
05. 12 Polonaises in E-Flat Major: V.
06. 12 Polonaises in E-Flat Minor: VI.
07. 12 Polonaises in E Major: VII.
08. 12 Polonaises in E Minor: VIII.
09. 12 Polonaises in F Major: IX.
10. 12 Polonaises in F Minor: X.
11. 12 Polonaises in G Major: XI.
12. 12 Polonaises in G Minor: XII.
13. 4 Pieces in G Major
14. 4 Pieces in B Minor
15. 4 Pieces in D Minor
16. 4 Pieces in G Minor

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was the firstborn of Johann Sebastian Bach’s
numerous family, the son of his father’s first wife Maria Barbara.
Wilhelm received his musical instruction from his father, who wrote for him a
notebook called Clavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, and which
bears immortal witness to Johann Sebastian’s pedagogical genius.
Wilhelm Friedemann grew into a successful musician, as a performer of many
keyboard instruments, and as a celebrated and appreciated composer, even though
his figure is somewhat paler than that of his two most famous brothers, Carl
Philip Emanuel and Johann Christian. Even today, when the early music movement
has unearthed many works by lesser-known composers, his output has not received
the recognition it deserves.
This comparatively minor fortune may in part be attributed to the peculiar
traits of this musician’s personality, which failed to endear him to his
contemporaries in spite of his undeniable value. His character was somewhat
edgy, and this led him to abandon some important jobs, including a post at the
Dresden Church of St. Cecilia and at the Liebfrauenkirche of Halle, where he had
also been appointed Director musices.
His difficulty in adapting himself to the requirement of a stable position led
him, in the last years of his life, to earn his living as a freelance musician:
this was the time when some pioneers among the musicians of the era decided to
abandon the safety of a regular employment and to try their hand as independent
artists (the most notable example is that of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). However,
both Mozart and Wilhelm Friedemann are also notable examples of how difficult
that choice could be: both died in misery, and both left their surviving family
almost destitute. In Wilhelm Friedemann’s case, his family consisted of
two women: his wife Dorothea Elisabeth Georgi, whom he had married in 1751, and
their daughter Friederike Sophie.
In spite of the possible shortcomings of his character, Wilhelm Friedemann was
highly prized by his contemporaries, particularly as an improviser: seemingly,
some thought him to be an even better improviser than his father, who is
unanimously considered as one of the most skilled improvisers of all times.
Furthermore, he left an output which is noteworthy both in qualitative and
quantitative terms; in particular, his keyboard concertos are highly interesting
and are considered as the direct antecedents of Mozart’s. His Concerto in
F major for two harpsichords, written around 1773, is an absolute masterpiece.
His oeuvre also includes sacred and secular cantatas, along with instrumental
music such as symphonies and chamber music works (frequently called Sonatas). As
a skilled keyboardist himself, unavoidably many of his compositions are for
keyboard alone, among them Sonatas, Fantasias, Fugues and shorter works;
notably, the Fantasias seem to record and offer a trace of that extraordinary
improvisational powers which had earned him fame during his lifetime. His organ
output is also worth knowing, and it includes a set of eight three-part fugues
dedicated to Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia (1723-1787), who was in turn an
amateur composer and had studied both the organ and the cello.
This Da Vinci Classics album includes Zwölf Polonaisen, written about 1765,
which represent unmistakably one of the highpoints of Wilhelm
Friedemann’s entire output. They were at least assembled, if not outright
conceived, as a cycle; their tonal ordering seems to mirror the
composer’s father’s interest in symmetry and completeness. While
here, with just twelve pieces at his disposal, Wilhelm Friedemann could not aim
at the same thoroughness found in Johann Sebastian’s Well-Tempered
Clavier, still the pieces’ ordering seems to follow the same principle:
the sequence, in fact, presents C major, C minor, D major, D minor, E-flat
major, E-flat minor, E major, E minor, F major, F minor, G major and G minor. In
order to achieve this sequence, Wilhelm Friedemann was forced to include some
keys which were still very infrequently employed at his time (some of them, to
be true, were used only sparsely also in the following centuries: most notably,
E-flat minor). It is an open question whether Wilhelm Friedemann had intended
the whole cycle of the twenty-four keys to be covered by his endeavour, or if he
had meant to focus only on these first twelve keys purposefully.
The Polonaise was a court dance; it also came to symbolize nobility, majesty,
and stateliness, particularly in the territories which were subject to the King
of Poland. At Johann Sebastian and Wilhelm Friedemann’s times, however,
the Polonaise had rather different qualities from those it would acquire with
its most famous composer, i.e. Chopin, in the nineteenth century. One feature
which remained typical and characteristic was the ternary time, along with the
dactylic rhythm (i.e. one long note, which might be a quaver, followed by two
notes with half the value of the preceding, e.g. semiquavers). In its being a
symbol of refinement and solemnity, the Polonaise stood side by side with the
dotted rhythm of French Overtures: in turn, it had acquired this symbolic value
thanks to its association with the Roi Soleil and with his stately appearances
in the Versailles theatre.
Wilhelm Friedemann’s Polonaises, however, are somewhat transfigured; they
are certainly not intended as music to be actually danced, and, under this
viewpoint, Wilhelm Friedemann saw eye to eye with his father, whose Suites,
Partitas, and the likes are made of abstract dances, stylized gestures which
transform the materiality of dance into a spiritual experience.
The pieces in the major mode are generally more flowing and briskly paced than
their minor counterparts; at least, this is what is clearly discernible from the
musical features of the pieces, since the composer abstains from adding tempo
indications. (Though not as common as in later epochs, at Wilhelm
Friedemann’s time many composers employed tempo indications rather
profusely).
These works are normally short, written for two or three polyphonic parts. Their
musical form is analogous to the classical Sonata Allegro form, though on a more
concise and compact scale: there are two contrasting themes, a development and
reprise.
Some of these Polonaises are worth presenting individually. For instance, the
two works in C major and D major, whose pace is a brisk Allegro, have a rather
similar compositional structure. The former, in C major, can be interpreted as a
kind of refined Etude combining arpeggios and quick scales; technical
proficiency is both expected and pursued through these pieces (just as some of
Johann Sebastian’s Preludes from the Well-Tempered Clavier have a true
Etude-like structure). Its D-major sibling, in conformity with many other pieces
written in the same key, presents a fanfare-like, pompous, and solemn beginning.
However, this is quickly followed by melismas, i.e. melodic, singing groups of
notes, echoing vocal virtuosity. Both pieces seem to display a kind of agility
which never fails to impress the listener.
By way of contrast, the G-major Polonaise is characterized by a light, elegant
atmosphere of dancing, with a very refined writing and a high, luminous profile.
It is somewhat reminiscent of a Minuet, although it is also oddly and eerily
different from typical instances of that courtly dance.
The slower movements are among the highlights of the composer’s entire
output, and are extraordinary pieces of touching beauty. The Adagio in E-flat
minor (i.e. the key of one of Johann Sebastian’s most memorable and
enchanting Preludes) is a beautiful example of the Empfindsamer Stil, the
expressive style of the affections which characterized the Sturm-und-Drang era.
It employs audacious, daring dissonances such as major seconds (and many
others), resulting in a harmonic texture of extreme refinement, and in a musical
atmosphere of veiled, opaque nostalgia.
The F-minor Adagio is in turn an unforgettable piece; it stands on equal footing
with some of Johann Sebastian’s best Sarabandes, with their combination
of expressivity, elegance, composure, and intensity. It displays a solemn,
royal, stately pace; it digs deep into the possibilities granted by harmonic and
melodic elaboration, resulting in an impressive, unforgettable moment of
lyricism.
In the E-minor Adagio, the evocation of a singing style confers particular
expressive intensity to the large intervals: this strategy was a landmark of
Mozart’s style. In fact, singing large intervals (such as the initial
tenth found here) is challenging for singers: those who manage to overcome this
difficulty satisfactorily have a great expressive resource in their pockets.
While the difficulty of playing an interval of tenth on a piano is by no means
comparable with that of singing a tenth, the impression of difficulty, and of
artistic virtuosity, is maintained. The opening leap, thus, seems to pave the
way for a whole new world. This is truly an Aria in the fashion of Italian
belcanto, with an undeniably singing style.
These are probably the most unforgettable moments of the whole cycle, but all
pieces display a wonderful variety of subtle rhythmic, melodic, harmonic
nuances. Wilhelm Friedemann creates a whole universe of meaningful and
surprising panoramas; furthermore, the result seems to flow naturally from his
pen, although this is the fruit not only of natural talent, but also of high
compositional refinement and skill.
It can be said, therefore, that Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was a first-rate
composer. His restless soul prompted him to create and design paths which are
rich in resources and perspectives; they enlightened new ways for the music of
future.

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