Concerto Copenhagen rediscovers Bach in their coming album ‘New Brandenburg Concertos’. 2NDmovement, Largo, from Concerto VIII after BWV 525 is the first taste of their ‘historically informed fiction’.

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What if Bach had composed another set of Brandenburg Concertos – based on his own organ music? That’s the question Concerto Copenhagen seeks to answer in their forthcoming album, New Brandenburg Concertos, in which the ensemble embarks on what they describe as “historically informed fiction.”

In close collaboration with the other musicians, Concerto Copenhagen’s oboist Antoine Torunczyk has orchestrated Bach’s six Organ Trio Sonatas (BWV 525–530) into six new concertos. These are inspired by the imaginative instrumentation and virtuosity of Bach’s original Brandenburg Concertos, and richly coloured with Baroque instruments such as the three kinds of oboes (oboe, oboe d’amore, oboe da caccia), and the three kinds of violas : viola da braccio, viola d’amore, viola pomposa.

CONCERTO VIII AFTER BWV 525 
‘It doesn’t take much to transform a trio into the slow movement of a concerto – just add an extra bass line’ – Antoine Torunczyk. 

And he adds: “In this peaceful slow movement, an ethereal violin and flute duet lull the listener to sleep, while two 8-foot instruments in the continuo draw an intricate meandering pattern of lines that intersect and intertwine, in the manner of the slow movement of the 6th Brandenburg Concerto...”

THE NEW BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS – A WORK OF FICTION 

Following the example set by Bach himself—who never hesitated to transform, for instance, a prelude for solo violin into a sinfonia for grand organ and orchestra with strings, oboes, trumpets, and timpani—this album presents an expanded version of the Organ Trio Sonatas: six new “Concertos for Several Instruments,” echoing the original French title Concerts avec plusieurs instruments that Bach gave to the equally famous Brandenburg Concertos.

The result is a work of fiction—far from any claim to authenticity, a concept usually central to an historically informed ensemble such as Concerto Copenhagen. 
But, as Antoine Torunczyk puts it: “I have come up with an attempt at ‘Historically Informed Fiction’ (..) At the end of the journey, the music seems unquestionably transformed, yet strangely familiar – like meeting an old friend after many years. My only wish is that the listener will take as much pleasure in rediscovering these pieces in a new light as I have enjoyed spending these years in their company.”

The album will be released on Berlin Classics on October 24th and will be available on CD and all major streaming platforms.