Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 | Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra & Giovanni Antonini

Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 | Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra & Giovanni Antonini
巴哈：第一管弦樂組曲 | 皇家音樂廳管弦樂團 & 喬凡尼‧安東尼尼

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It's a piece that makes you feel as if you're stepping into the courtly music of the Baroque era: Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No.1 in C major, BWV 1066. This more than 300-year-old work is performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, conducted by Giovanni Antonini. The concert took place on February 28, 2013, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

(00:00) I. Ouverture
(10:20) II. Courante
(13:12) III. Gavotte
(15:58) IV. Forlane
(17:18) V. Minuet
(20:10) VI. Bourrée
(22:21) VII. Passepied

The term Orchestral Suite was not commonly used during the lifetime of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Instead, a multi-movement orchestral work was named after its opening movement, the Ouverture. This historical genre designation can occasionally still be found on old records. Today, however, the term Orchestral Suite has become generally established.

Since the none of the original manuscripts of Bach's four surviving orchestral suites have been preserved, dating the works proved difficult. More recent research using various sources and stylistic analysis, however, has established that the orchestral suites were composed during Bach's time in Leipzig, where he took up the position of Thomaskantor in 1723. The Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major may have been composed in 1725. But it remains unclear whether there was a specific occasion for which the First Orchestral Suite was written, such a special celebration at a princely court, for example. What is certain, however, is that Bach also performed the suite as part of his Collegium Musicum. The Collegium Musicum was an orchestra consisting primarily of students that gave weekly public concerts in Leipzig, featuring a wide variety of compositions by Bach and other composers.

The instrumentation of the Orchestral Suite No. 1 consists of two oboes, one bassoon, strings and basso continuo. A striking feature of the suite is its predominantly French style, occasionally complemented by dances characteristic of Italian music. The first movement, the Ouverture, accounts for almost half of the entire work. A solemn, almost majestic section featuring the characteristic dotted rhythm is followed by a fugato, which concludes with a reprise of the opening section. The movement is written in a concertante style, with solo passages for the individual instruments. Following this demanding Ouverture is a freely arranged sequence of Baroque courtly dances, each characterized by simple forms and a clear contrast between the instrumental groups.

For modern listeners, it is not difficult to imagine a Baroque courtly scene while listening to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1. At the same time, the melodic lines and harmonies so familiar from Bach’s sacred music are ever-present in this secular orchestral work.

Text: Rita Kass

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